Breakdown of Æfum jóga og sitjum á dýnunni!
og
and
sitja
to sit
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
æfa
to practice
jógað
the yoga
dýnan
the mat
Questions & Answers about Æfum jóga og sitjum á dýnunni!
How does the grammar show the meaning "Let's..." in æfum and sitjum?
In Icelandic, you can create a "Let's [do something]" suggestion simply by using the first-person plural ("we") form of the verb and dropping the pronoun við. By starting the clauses with æfum and sitjum, the sentence naturally translates as an enthusiastic "Let's practice... and let's sit..."
Why isn't a reflexive pronoun used with æfum here, since we often see æfa sig to mean "to practice"?
You use the reflexive form (æfa sig) when you are practicing a skill generally, without naming it as a direct object (e.g., við æfum okkur, "we practice"). However, when you explicitly state what you are practicing—in this case, jóga—the verb acts as a standard transitive verb and takes that noun as its direct object instead of a reflexive pronoun.
Why does the preposition á trigger the dative case for dýnunni in this sentence?
The preposition á takes the dative case when indicating a static location (where something is currently happening), as opposed to the accusative case, which it uses to show motion or direction toward a destination. Since we are sitting stationary on the mat, á triggers the dative.
What is the base word for dýnunni, and how are the endings formed?
The base word is the weak feminine noun dýna (mat, cushion, or mattress). In the dative singular case, it changes to dýnu. To make it definite ("the mat"), you attach the feminine dative singular definite article suffix -nni, giving you the final word dýnunni.
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