In Icelandic, relative clauses are introduced by the word sem (which, who, or that). When the action in the relative clause involves a preposition, Icelandic handles it just like English often does: the preposition is pushed to the very end of the clause.
Talking, Working, and Waiting
When you use verbs that pair naturally with a preposition—like tala við (talk to), vinna með (work with), or vinna hjá (work for)—the preposition sits at the end of the sem phrase.
| The boss that I was talking to is here. | Yfirmaðurinn sem ég var að tala við er hér. |
| This is the boss that she works with. | Þetta er yfirmaðurinn sem hún vinnur með. |
| The company that they work for is large. | Fyrirtækið sem þau vinna hjá er stórt. |
Pointing and Searching
Many everyday Icelandic verbs require a specific preposition to make sense. For example, you "point at" (benda á) and "search for" (leita að). In relative clauses, these prepositions get stranded at the end of the clause, right after the verb.
| I am helping the employee that you are pointing at. | Ég er að hjálpa starfsmanninum sem þú ert að benda á. |
| This is the book that I am searching for. | Þetta er bókin sem ég er að leita að. |
Complaining, Listening, and Discussing
This structure applies no matter what the preposition is. Whether you are complaining about something (kvarta yfir), listening to a presentation (hlusta á), or talking about what an article discusses (fjalla um), the rule remains the same: lead with sem and drop the preposition at the end of the phrase.
| The food that the customer is complaining about is cold. | Maturinn sem viðskiptavinurinn er að kvarta yfir er kaldur. |
| The presentation that we are listening to is interesting. | Kynningin sem við erum að hlusta á er áhugaverð. |
| The movie that the article is about is old. | Bíómyndin sem greinin fjallar um er gömul. |