Breakdown of Strákurinn veit ekki hvernig hann fer úr miðbænum á flugvöllinn.
hann
he
strákurinn
the boy
ekki
not
fara
to go
hvernig
how
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
úr
out of
vita
to know (a fact, information)
flugvöllurinn
the airport
miðbærinn
the city center
Questions & Answers about Strákurinn veit ekki hvernig hann fer úr miðbænum á flugvöllinn.
Why is the word order hvernig hann fer instead of hvernig fer hann?
This is an indirect question. When you embed a question inside another sentence (like after veit ekki), the word order changes to a normal statement order: the subject (hann) comes before the verb (fer). If it were a direct question asking "How does he go?", the verb would come right after the question word: Hvernig fer hann?
Why does úr take the dative case for miðbænum, but á takes the accusative case for flugvöllinn?
The preposition úr (out of or from) always forces the noun that follows it into the dative case. However, á (on or to) is a two-way preposition. Because there is active movement towards a destination (going to the airport), á triggers the accusative case here. If he were already located at the airport, á would take the dative case instead.
What is the base form of miðbænum?
The base form is miðbær (city center), which is a masculine noun. The preposition úr requires the dative case, which changes the word to miðbæ. Then we add the dative masculine definite article (-num) to the end to say "the" city center, resulting in miðbænum.
Could we use a different verb instead of fer (goes) to mean "getting to" the airport?
Yes! While fer works perfectly, Icelanders very commonly use the verb kemst (from að komast, meaning to get somewhere or make one's way) when talking about figuring out a route. It would sound very natural to say hvernig hann kemst á flugvöllinn (how he gets to the airport).
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