Breakdown of Konan er ekki í vinnunni.
vera
to be
konan
the woman
ekki
not
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
vinnan
the work
Questions & Answers about Konan er ekki í vinnunni.
Why does the word vinna (work) change to vinnunni here?
The preposition í requires the dative case here because it describes being in a fixed location. The dative form of the feminine word vinna is vinnu. To say 'the work' (definite form), we add the feminine dative ending -nni, making it vinnunni.
Why does the Icelandic sentence literally say 'in the work' (í vinnunni) instead of 'at work'?
Prepositions rarely match up perfectly between languages. In Icelandic, you are 'in' (í) work rather than 'at' it. Also, Icelandic naturally uses the definite form ('the work') for this common location, so í vinnunni is the standard set phrase for 'at work'.
How does konan become 'the woman'?
The base word is kona (woman). Icelandic usually attaches the word for 'the' to the end of the noun. For feminine nouns like kona, the basic definite ending is -n, which gives us konan.
Where does the word ekki (not) usually go in a sentence like this?
In simple sentences, ekki comes right after the verb. Here, it immediately follows the verb er (is), just like in the English 'is not'.
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