Breakdown of Vinnuflugan býr í býflugnabúinu.
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
búa
to live (in a place), to dwell
vinnuflugan
the worker bee
býflugnabúið
the beehive
Questions & Answers about Vinnuflugan býr í býflugnabúinu.
Where would we place the discourse marker nefnilega in this sentence to say 'The worker bee, you see, lives in the beehive'?
In a standard Icelandic main clause, explanatory particles like nefnilega typically go immediately after the conjugated verb. You would insert it right after býr, making the sentence: Vinnuflugan býr nefnilega í býflugnabúinu.
Why does the preposition í trigger the dative case for býflugnabúinu here instead of the accusative?
The preposition í governs the dative case when it describes a stationary location (where something is). Because the worker bee is residing inside the hive (a state of rest) rather than moving into it from the outside, the dative is required.
How does the complex compound word býflugnabúinu break down?
Both vinnuflugan and býflugnabúinu are compound words with definite articles attached. How do we know what gender they are?
In Icelandic compound words, the gender is always dictated by the very last root word. Vinnuflugan ends in fluga, which is feminine, so it takes the feminine definite article -n. Býflugnabúinu ends in bú, which is neuter, so it takes the dative neuter definite article -inu.
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