þjónustunni

Þjónustunni is the definite dative singular form of the Icelandic noun þjónusta, which means service. The word þjónusta refers to the act of serving or the provision of assistance, and it is used for services delivered by businesses, public institutions, or individuals. The form þjónustunni occurs when the noun is definite and in the dative case, and it is typically found in phrases introduced by prepositions that govern the dative or in certain fixed expressions.

In Icelandic grammar, nouns are declined for number, case, and definiteness. The definite dative singular form marks that the service in question is both specific and the indirect object or location described by a preposition. Examples of contexts where this form can appear include locations or states described with plural prepositional phrases and certain idiomatic constructions.

Etymology and cognates: The noun þjónusta originates in Old Norse and has cognates in other North Germanic languages. It has long been used to denote acts of serving, provision of service, and, in modern usage, various sectors of the service economy, including customer service and public or professional services. The definite dative form þjónustunni is a product of Icelandic inflection that marks specificity and grammatical case within such phrases.

Usage notes: In contemporary Icelandic, the dative case remains visible in formal writing and older or regional styles. In everyday speech, the full case system is less conspicuously used, but the definite dative form like þjónustunni persists in written language and in contexts requiring precise grammatical marking.