Emphasizing with "Það er ... sem"
To highlight exactly who did something or what happened, Icelandic uses cleft sentences (klofningar).
The structure mirrors English: Það er (It is) + [Focused Element] + sem (that/who) + [Rest of the sentence]
The relative pronoun sem never changes form and is used for both people ("who") and things ("that").
| It is the fashion show that gets all the attention. | Það er tískusýningin sem fær alla athyglina. |
| It is the designer who is so unique. | Það er hönnuðurinn sem er svo einstakur. |
Past Tense Emphasis
For past events, simply use Það var (It was).
| It was the model who showed a bold dress. | Það var fyrirsætan sem sýndi djarfan kjól. |
| It was the fashion show that was both bold and unique. | Það var tískusýningin sem var bæði djörf og einstök. |
Emphasizing Different Elements
You can focus on almost any part of a sentence, including the object or contrasting information.
| The demanding designer has arrived, but it is the attention that he wants. | Kröfuharði hönnuðurinn er kominn, en það er athyglin sem hann vill. |
| I do not know whether it is the designer or the competition that gets the attention. | Ég veit ekki hvort það er hönnuðurinn eða samkeppnin sem fær athyglina. |
This works exactly the same way when emphasizing phrases with adjectives or nouns without the definite article.
| It is unique fashion that he has a passion for. | Það er einstök tíska sem hann hefur ástríðu fyrir. |
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