Það var verið að þrífa íþróttahúsið þegar við komum, svo keppnin byrjaði aðeins seinna.

to be

Breakdown of Það var verið að þrífa íþróttahúsið þegar við komum, svo keppnin byrjaði aðeins seinna.

• það: it
• við: we
• seinna: later

Questions & Answers about Það var verið að þrífa íþróttahúsið þegar við komum, svo keppnin byrjaði aðeins seinna.

Why does the sentence start with Það var verið að þrífa? It looks strange if I compare it to English.

This is a very common Icelandic way to say that an action was in progress.

• það = a dummy subject, like English there/it in expressions such as there was...
• var verið að + infinitive = was in the process of ... / was going on

So:

• Það var verið að þrífa = Cleaning was going on / Someone was cleaning / They were cleaning

It is an impersonal construction, so it does not name who was doing the cleaning. English often uses they were cleaning or the gym was being cleaned, depending on context.

This pattern is very useful in Icelandic:

• Það var verið að elda = Cooking was going on
• Það er verið að laga bílinn = They are repairing the car / The car is being repaired

Is Það here actually referring to something?

No, not really. In this sentence, það is a dummy pronoun. It does not point to a specific thing.

Its job is mainly grammatical: Icelandic often wants something in the subject position, and það can fill that slot in impersonal sentences.

So in:

• Það var verið að þrífa íþróttahúsið

the important idea is the action itself, not það.