Breakdown of Ferðamaðurinn veit ekki hvernig hann ratar á hótelið.
hann
he
ekki
not
hvernig
how
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
hótelið
the hotel
vita
to know (a fact, information)
ferðamaðurinn
the tourist
rata
to find one's way
Questions & Answers about Ferðamaðurinn veit ekki hvernig hann ratar á hótelið.
Why is the word order hvernig hann ratar instead of hvernig ratar hann?
This is because it is an indirect question. In a standard, direct question, the verb comes immediately after the question word (Hvernig ratar hann? - How does he find his way?). But when the question is embedded inside another sentence, the subject goes back in front of the verb, giving us the standard subject-verb order: hvernig hann ratar.
Does the verb rata just mean 'to find'?
Not quite! Icelandic has a specific verb just for navigating or finding your way somewhere: rata. If you are looking for a lost physical object, like your keys or passport, you would use the verb finna (to find) instead.
Why do we use veit here instead of þekkir to say 'know'?
We use vita (the infinitive of veit) when talking about knowing a fact or a piece of information, such as knowing how to get somewhere. You would use þekkja if you were talking about being personally familiar with a person or a place.
Why is the hotel in the accusative case (á hótelið) instead of the dative (á hótelinu)?
The preposition á takes the accusative case when it describes movement or direction towards a destination (finding his way to the hotel). If the tourist were already inside and we were describing his static location, it would take the dative case (á hótelinu).
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