Breakdown of Við vinnum ekki í dag út af verkfallinu.
ekki
not
við
we
í dag
today
vinna
to work (general labor, to do work)
út af
because of (+ dative)
verkfallið
the strike
Questions & Answers about Við vinnum ekki í dag út af verkfallinu.
Why does the word verkfall change to verkfallinu here?
The preposition út af (because of) forces the noun that follows it into the dative case. The base word is verkfall (a neuter noun). To say "the strike" in the dative case, we add the definite ending -inu, making it verkfallinu.
Why use út af instead of af því að for "because"?
Út af translates to "because of" and is a preposition, meaning it must be followed directly by a noun or pronoun (like "the strike"). You would use af því að (because) when connecting two full sentences that both have verbs, like "because there is a strike".
What does the word verkfall literally mean?
It is a very literal compound word! It combines verk (work) and fall (a fall or drop). So a strike is essentially a "work-drop".
Why is ekki placed right after the verb vinnum?
In standard Icelandic main clauses, the negating word ekki (not) usually comes immediately after the conjugated verb. This means Icelandic literally says "We work not today" rather than using a helping verb like in English ("We do not work").
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