Breakdown of Þau eru með mikið af sparnaði í bankanum.
vera
to be
þau
they (n)
mikið
a lot
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
með
with
af
of (in quantity expressions)
bankinn
the bank
sparnaðurinn
the savings
Questions & Answers about Þau eru með mikið af sparnaði í bankanum.
Why does the word for savings change to sparnaði here?
The preposition af (of) always forces the noun that follows it into the dative case. The dictionary form is the masculine noun sparnaður, but it drops the -ur and adds an -i to become sparnaði in the dative.
In English, "savings" is plural. Why do we use mikið af (much / a lot of) instead of a plural word for "many"?
In Icelandic, sparnaður is treated as a singular, uncountable mass noun, similar to how we treat "money" or "water" in English. Because it is an uncountable concept here, you must use mikið af rather than a quantifier meant for countable items.
Why does the sentence use eru með (are with) instead of a form of the verb hafa (to have)?
While hafa does mean "to have", Icelandic very often uses the phrase að vera með (to be with) to express possessing something, having it on you, or having an account. Using eru með for having savings in a bank is extremely common and natural in everyday speech.
Why is bankanum in the dative case here?
The preposition í takes the dative case when it describes a fixed location (where something currently is). Since the savings are resting stationary "in the bank", the word banki (bank) takes the dative definite ending -num to become bankanum (the bank).
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