Abstract Pseudo-Clefts with "Það sem"
When you want to place strong emphasis on a specific issue, action, or demand, you can use a "pseudo-cleft" sentence. In English, these sentences often start with "What..." (as in, "What is urgent is..."). In Icelandic, this is expressed with það sem (literally "that which").
| What is urgent now is this new action. | Það sem er aðkallandi núna er þessi nýja aðgerð. |
The structure follows this simple pattern: Það sem + [descriptive clause] + er (or var) + [the emphasized point].
This construction is an incredibly powerful rhetorical tool for discussing priorities, establishing demands, and debating climate activism.
| What the protester wants is sustainability. | Það sem mótmælandinn vill er sjálfbærnin. |
| What we must stop is the pollution. | Það sem við þurfum að stoppa er mengunin. |
Discussing Core Issues
When outlining what directly affects people or the environment, you will often use the verb varða (to concern).
| What concerns us is carbon and emissions. | Það sem varðar okkur er kolefnið og losunin. |
You can also use this structure with common phrases like skipta máli (to matter) to cut straight to the core of an argument.
| What matters is the reduction in pollution. | Það sem skiptir máli er samdráttur í mengun. |
Matching Tenses
If you are emphasizing something that happened or was true in the past, both the verb inside the það sem clause and the main linking verb will typically be in the past tense (var instead of er).
| What was important was the action against the state of emergency. | Það sem var mikilvægt var aðgerðin gegn neyðarástandinu. |