Breakdown of Söngvarinn syngur oft á þessum viðburðum.
oft
often
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
syngja
to sing
þessi
this (m/f)
söngvarinn
the singer
viðburðurinn
the event
Questions & Answers about Söngvarinn syngur oft á þessum viðburðum.
Why is 'these' translated as þessum here?
The word þessum is the dative plural form of the demonstrative pronoun þessi (this/these). It is in the dative case because the preposition á requires it when talking about a static location or event. Notice how it perfectly matches the dative plural ending of the noun viðburðum!
Is viðburðum a plural word? Why does it end in -um?
Yes, it means 'events'. The base word is the masculine noun viðburður (an event). Because the preposition á puts the phrase into the dative case, we use the dative plural form. A very handy rule in Icelandic is that almost all nouns, regardless of gender, end in -um in the dative plural.
Why do we use á to mean 'at' these events?
While á most commonly translates to 'on', it is the standard Icelandic preposition to use when talking about attending events, concerts, or gatherings.
How does the word söngvarinn (the singer) get its ending?
The base word for a male singer is söngvari. Because it is a 'weak' masculine noun (meaning it ends in a vowel in its basic form), we just add -nn to mean 'the', rather than the full -inn ending. That gives us söngvarinn.
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