Breakdown of Ljósið er uppi í loftinu.
vera
to be
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
ljósið
the light
uppi
upstairs / up (location)
Questions & Answers about Ljósið er uppi í loftinu.
Why do we use uppi here instead of upp?
In Icelandic, place adverbs change depending on whether there is motion or not. Uppi is used for a stationary position (being up somewhere). Upp is used for movement (going up). Since the light is just fixed in place, we use uppi.
Why is the word for ceiling written as loftinu?
Loft is a neuter noun. Here, it has the definite article attached in the dative case (-inu), making it loftinu (the ceiling). The preposition í requires the dative case when describing a stationary location, which matches perfectly with our position adverb uppi.
Does loft always mean ceiling?
No, loft is a versatile word that can mean air, sky, or ceiling depending on the context. If you are indoors, uppi í loftinu means up in the ceiling. If you are outdoors, it means up in the air or sky!
What case is ljósið in, and why?
Ljósið (the light) is in the nominative case because it is the main subject of the sentence. It is built from the neuter noun ljós with the nominative definite article -ið attached to the end.