Breakdown of Venjulega hitta þeir okkur á þessu safni.
þeir
they (m)
okkur
us
hitta
to meet
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
venjulega
usually
þessi
this (m/f)
safnið
the museum
Questions & Answers about Venjulega hitta þeir okkur á þessu safni.
Why does the sentence use þessu instead of þetta?
Þessu is the dative singular neuter form of þessi (this). We use the dative case here because the preposition á (at) requires the dative when describing a fixed location. It must be in the neuter form to match the neuter noun safn (museum).
Why is the word for museum safni instead of just safn?
Safni is the dative form of safn. Just like the word for "this" changed to þessu, the noun itself must also take the dative case after the preposition á. For many neuter nouns ending in a consonant, you add an -i to create the dative form.
In English we say "Usually they meet", but the Icelandic says Venjulega hitta þeir. Why is the verb before the subject?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action. In Icelandic, the main verb must almost always be the second element in a sentence. Since the adverb venjulega (usually) takes the first position, the verb hitta (meet) must come immediately after it, pushing the subject þeir (they) to the third spot.
Why do we use the preposition á when the English translation says "at this museum"?
In Icelandic, you typically use á (which often translates literally to "on") for public institutions, workplaces, and places of culture. So while you might be "in" a house (í húsi), you are considered to be "on" a museum (á safni) or "on" a library (á bókasafni).
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