Hjá

Hjá is a preposition in Icelandic that roughly means “at” or “with” when describing location in relation to a person or organization. It is used to indicate presence at someone’s home, office, or in association with a group, rather than a general place.

Grammar and usage: Hjá governs the dative case. The following word after fyrir can be a pronoun or a noun in dative form. In practice, you will see forms like mér, þér, honum, henni, okkur, ykkur, þeim after hafa and similar structures, and nouns such as pabba (pabbi in dative) or læknanum (læknar). Examples include: “Ég er hjá pabba” (I am at Dad’s), “Hún er hjá læknanum” (She is at the doctor’s), and “Verkefnið er hjá fyrirtækinu” (The project is at the company).

Distinctions: Hjá is distinct from general location prepositions like í (in), á (on/at a surface), or um (about). It specifically signals presence with or at the home, office, or affiliation of a person or organization and is not used for generic places alone.

Etymology and cognates: Hjá originates in Old Norse and has cognates in other North Germanic languages. In Danish and Swedish, the equivalent preposition hos or hos-forms serve a similar function, indicating location or presence in relation to a person or entity.

Overall, Hjá is a common and versatile preposition in Icelandic, central to expressing where someone is or with whom they are associated, with its meaning and usage closely tied to the dative case.