Breakdown of Þau eru að synda í sundlauginni.
vera
to be
þau
they (n)
að
to (infinitive marker)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
sundlaugin
the swimming pool
synda
to swim
Questions & Answers about Þau eru að synda í sundlauginni.
Why does the sentence use eru að synda instead of just a single verb?
This is the present continuous structure, which is the main focus of this lesson! It shows that an action is happening right now. To build it, you use a form of the verb vera (to be) matched to the subject, followed by að, and then the infinitive form of the action verb. So eru means "are", and að synda translates to "swimming".
Why is þau used for "they" here instead of þeir or þær?
How does the word sundlauginni break down?
The base word is sundlaug, which means "swimming pool". In Icelandic, the word for "the" is attached to the end of the noun. The ending -inni is the definite article meaning "the" for a feminine noun in the dative case.
Why is sundlauginni in the dative case here?
It is triggered by the preposition í (in). When í describes being located somewhere or doing a stationary action inside a place, the noun that follows it must take the dative case. If they were jumping or moving into the pool from the outside, í would take the accusative case instead to show motion.
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