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Dýravinurinn tekur þátt í barnastarfinu.

Dýravinurinn tekur þátt í barnastarfinu.
The animal lover takes part in the children's program.
From Lesson 453:Compound words with a plural genitive (-a)·Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Dýravinurinn tekur þátt í barnastarfinu.

Where does the '-a' in dýravinurinn and barnastarfinu come from?
This '-a' is the plural genitive ending. When combining nouns, if the first noun refers to something plural in meaning (like animals or children), we use its genitive plural form to link the words. Here, dýra is the genitive plural of dýr (animal), and barna is the genitive plural of barn (child).
Why use the plural genitive dýra- instead of a singular linking vowel?
An animal lover loves animals in general, not just one specific animal. Therefore, the compound uses the plural genitive dýra (of animals) rather than a singular genitive like dýrs. The same logic applies to barnastarfinu, which is a program for children (plural).
Why isn't the definite article attached to the first word in the compound?
In Icelandic noun compounds, the first part is always indefinite. The definite article suffix is only ever added to the very end of the entire compound word. That is why the article -inn attaches only to -vinur to make dýravinurinn, and -inu attaches to -starf to make barnastarfinu.
Why is the noun barnastarfinu in the dative case here?
The fixed phrase taka þátt í (to take part in) always dictates that the following noun takes the dative case. Because of this rule, the neuter noun starfið (the work/program) changes to its dative form starfinu.

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