Sú sem vinnur á leikskólanum heilsar henni alltaf með brosi.

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Breakdown of Sú sem vinnur á leikskólanum heilsar henni alltaf með brosi.

• með: with
• alltaf: always
• á: at

Questions & Answers about Sú sem vinnur á leikskólanum heilsar henni alltaf með brosi.

Why does the sentence begin with Sú instead of Hún?

Sú means that one / the one in the feminine form. In this sentence, Sú sem... means the one who... referring to a female person.

So:

• Sú sem vinnur á leikskólanum = the woman/girl/person who works at the preschool

By contrast, hún usually just means she. If you used Hún sem..., that would not work here in standard Icelandic.

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What exactly does sem mean here?

Sem is the relative particle who / that / which.

In this sentence, it connects Sú with the clause that describes her:

• Sú sem vinnur á leikskólanum
• literally: the one who works at the preschool

A useful pattern to remember is:

• sá sem = the one who (masculine)
• sú sem = the one who (feminine)
• það sem = what / that which (neuter, depending on context)

Unlike English relative pronouns, sem does not change form for case here.

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Is Sú sem vinnur á leikskólanum a complete noun phrase?