Impersonal Passives with Prepositions
Many Icelandic verbs are paired with a specific preposition, such as leita að (to search for), hringja í (to call), or tala um (to talk about).
When emphasizing the target of these actions in a passive sentence ("It is the [Noun] that is [Verbed] [Preposition]"), use this structure:
Það er + [Noun] + sem er + [Neuter Past Participle] + [Preposition]
The preposition is separated from its verb and left "stranded" at the end of the clause.
| It is the finder that is called. | Það er finnandinn sem er hringt í. |
| It is the computer that is searched for, to register it. | Það er tölvan sem er leitað að, til að skrásetja hana. |
The Fixed Neuter Participle
Because this is an impersonal construction, the past participle always stays in the fixed neuter singular form (e.g., leitað, hringt, talað). It never changes to agree with the noun's gender or number.
Notice how the participles stay neuter below, even when referring to the feminine taskan (the bag) or the masculine geymslutíminn (the storage period).
| It is the ownerless bag that is searched for, to trace the owner. | Það er eigandalausa taskan sem er leitað að, til að rekja eigandann. |
| At the lost and found department, it is the storage period that is talked about. | Á óskilamunadeildinni er það geymslutíminn sem er talað um. |