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Við borðum matinn á veitingastaðnum.

Við borðum matinn á veitingastaðnum.
We eat the food at the restaurant.
From Lesson 25:Definite dative nouns (-num, -nni, -nu)·Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Við borðum matinn á veitingastaðnum.

Why is the word for the restaurant spelled veitingastaðnum here?
This is the dative, definite (meaning "the") form of the masculine noun veitingastaður. Because it is in the dative case, the root word drops its -ur ending to become veitingastað. Then, because we are saying "the" restaurant, we add the masculine dative definite ending, which is -num.
What causes veitingastaðnum to be in the dative case in this sentence?
The preposition á (at/on) triggers it. When á is used to describe a fixed location (telling us exactly where the eating is happening), the noun that follows it must take the dative case.
Why is matinn (the food) not in the dative case too?
Matinn is the direct object of the sentence—it is the thing being eaten. The verb borða (to eat) requires its direct object to be in the accusative case. Since matur (food) is masculine, its accusative definite form is matinn. It is completely unaffected by the preposition á that comes later in the sentence.
How do compound words like veitingastaður change case?
Veitingastaður is a compound made from veitinga (refreshments) and staður (place). A very helpful rule in Icelandic is that when a compound word changes case or becomes definite, only the very last part of the word changes. You leave veitinga- exactly as it is, and just apply the dative definite rules to staður, turning it into staðnum.

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