Breakdown of Strætóinn kom ekki út af verkfallinu.
ekki
not
koma
to come
strætóinn
the bus
út af
because of (+ dative)
Questions & Answers about Strætóinn kom ekki út af verkfallinu.
Why does the word for strike, verkfallinu, end in -inu?
The preposition út af (because of) always forces the noun that follows it into the dative case. The base word is the neuter noun verkfall (strike). To say "the strike" in the dative case, we add the neuter definite ending -inu, making it verkfallinu.
What is the base word for strætóinn, and why does it take an -inn ending?
The base word is strætó, which is a very common abbreviation for strætisvagn (city bus). It acts as a masculine noun. To say "the bus", you add the masculine definite article -inn to the end, giving us strætóinn.
Could I use af því að here instead of út af?
No, because út af means "because of" and is followed directly by a noun phrase (like verkfallinu). Af því að means "because" and must be followed by a full clause with its own subject and verb, such as af því að það var verkfall (because there was a strike).
Why is ekki placed after the verb instead of before it?
In Icelandic main clauses, the verb is usually the second piece of information in a sentence. The negative word ekki (not) generally comes right after this conjugated verb. So, the sentence structure is literally "The bus came not because of the strike."