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Þau tala um barnastarfið í kennarastofunni.

Þau tala um barnastarfið í kennarastofunni.
They talk about the children's program in the teachers' lounge.
From Lesson 453:Compound words with a plural genitive (-a)·Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Þau tala um barnastarfið í kennarastofunni.

How does the compounding work in barnastarfið?
It is made of barn (child) and starf (work/activity). To say "children's program", Icelandic uses the plural genitive (possessive) form of barn, which is barna. The -a ending acts as a linking vowel, attaching directly to the definite noun starfið (the program) to form a single word.
Is the -a in kennarastofunni also a plural genitive linking vowel?
Yes! The masculine noun kennari (teacher) becomes kennara in the genitive plural (teachers'). It attaches to stofa (room/lounge) to form kennarastofa. By using the plural genitive, it implies a room for teachers in general, rather than just one specific teacher's room.
Why is barnastarfið in the accusative case here?
The preposition um (about) always forces the noun that follows it into the accusative case. Since starf is a neuter word, its accusative definite form, starfið, looks exactly the same as its nominative (dictionary) form.
Why does kennarastofunni take the dative case ending -nni?
The preposition í (in) takes the dative case here because it describes a stationary location (where the talking takes place), rather than movement into a place. stofa is a feminine noun, and its dative singular definite form is stofunni.

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