The Modal of Surprise
In English, we sometimes use the word "should" to emphasize surprise or disbelief, such as "It is strange that the bear should be here." Icelandic uses the modal verb skulu in exactly the same way.
When reacting to an unexpected event—like a wild animal (villidýr) wandering into the city—you can use the present subjunctive form skuli in the að (that) clause. The main verb that follows it will be in the infinitive.
| It is strange that the wild animal should wander around the city centre. | Það er furðulegt að villidýrið skuli ráfa um miðbæinn. |
| I find it incomprehensible that this large wild animal should be here. | Mér finnst óskiljanlegt að þetta stóra villidýr skuli vera hérna. |
Using Skuli with Different Subjects
For both third-person singular (he/she/it) and third-person plural (they) subjects, the present subjunctive form is skuli. Whether you are surprised by a single arctic fox (tófa) or multiple bears, the verb form remains the same.
| We do not believe that the arctic fox should sleep in the backyard. | Við trúum því ekki að tófan skuli sofa í bakgarðinum. |
| It is silly that the bears should rummage in our trash cans. | Það er asnalegt að birnirnir skuli róta í ruslatunnunum okkar. |
Adding Descriptions and Negation
You will often pair this structure with adjectives describing the animal's unexpected behavior, such as being spakur (tame). If the surprise clause is negative, the word ekki (not) is placed directly after skuli.
| It is strange that the arctic fox should be so tame. | Það er skrýtið að tófan skuli vera svona spök. |
| We are surprised that this tame wild animal should not flee. | Við erum hissa á að þetta spaka villidýr skuli ekki flýja. |
