Questions & Answers about Flugan situr yfir gatinu.
Why does yfir take the dative case (gatinu) in this sentence?
The preposition yfir (over/above) can take either the accusative or the dative case. We use the dative case when describing a static position where no movement from one place to another is happening. Since the fly is just resting in one spot above the hole, gatinu must be in the dative case.
What would happen to the sentence if the fly were moving across the hole?
If the fly were moving across or over the hole, we would be talking about direction rather than a fixed position. In that case, yfir would trigger the accusative case instead of the dative. For example, you would say Flugan flýgur yfir gatið (The fly flies over the hole), using the accusative form gatið.
How do we get the form gatinu from the dictionary word gat?
The neuter noun gat (hole) becomes gati in the dative case. To say the hole, we have to attach the definite article suffix to the end of the word. For dative neuter words, that suffix is -nu, which gives us gatinu.
The English translation says is sitting, so why doesn't the Icelandic sentence include a word for is?
Icelandic does not have a separate continuous tense like the English is doing or are doing. The single present tense verb situr translates to both sits and is sitting. You just use context to know which one sounds best in English.