Breakdown of Á botninum er svört möl.
vera
to be
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
svartur
black
botninn
the bottom
mölin
the gravel
Questions & Answers about Á botninum er svört möl.
Why is there no dummy subject það here, like in Á botninum er það svört möl?
This is exactly the 'það-drop' rule in action. The standard non-inverted sentence would be Það er svört möl á botninum. When we move the location phrase Á botninum to the front for emphasis, the verb er must come second. Because the first position is taken, the dummy subject það is completely dropped, rather than moved to the other side of the verb.
Why does botninum take the dative case here instead of the accusative?
The preposition á governs the dative case when it describes a stationary location ('where' something is). Since the gravel is just resting on the bottom with no movement involved, botn takes the dative definite suffix -inum.
How does the adjective svört show us the gender of möl?
The adjective svört is the feminine nominative singular form of svartur (black). This tells us that möl (gravel) is a feminine noun. The feminine singular ending triggers a u-shift, which changes the original a in the root of svartur to an ö.
Is möl considered singular or plural in this sentence?
It is singular. Just like the English word 'gravel', möl is used as an uncountable mass noun in Icelandic. Because of this, both the verb er and the adjective svört are singular.
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