Breakdown of Skiptineminn gistir hjá fósturfjölskyldunni.
hjá
next to / at (someone's) place, with
gista
to spend the night
skiptineminn
the exchange student
fósturfjölskyldan
the host family
Questions & Answers about Skiptineminn gistir hjá fósturfjölskyldunni.
Why does hjá translate to "at the host family's place" instead of just "by" or "with"?
The preposition hjá usually means "by" or "next to", but when used with people, it is the standard way to say "at someone's house" or "staying with someone". This is exactly how we use it in this sentence. And remember, hjá always forces the following noun into the dative case!
Why does fósturfjölskyldunni end in -nni?
Because the preposition hjá requires the dative case. The word for family is fjölskylda, which is a feminine noun. In the dative case, it changes to fjölskyldu, and when we add the definite article to mean "the" family, it becomes fjölskyldunni.
Could I use the verb að búa (to live) instead of að gista here?
You could, but it changes the meaning. The verb að gista specifically means to spend the night or stay somewhere temporarily as a guest. Using býr (from að búa) would imply the exchange student permanently resides there, rather than just staying as a guest.
How do you break down the word Skiptineminn?
It is a compound word made of skipti (exchange) and nemi (student or learner). The -nn at the very end is the attached masculine ending for "the", giving us "the exchange student".
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