The Relative Pronoun "sem"
The Icelandic word sem is a versatile relative pronoun used to connect sentences and add descriptive information. It translates to "who," "which," or "that" in English.
The best part about sem is that it is completely invariable—it never changes form, regardless of the gender, number, or case of the noun it refers to.
| Here is the baker who is very helpful. | Hér er bakarinn sem er mjög hjálpsamur. |
| The neighbor who is chatting with the owner is helpful. | Nágranninn sem er að spjalla við eigandann er hjálpsamur. |
| I am chatting with the baker who owns the bakery. | Ég er að spjalla við bakarann sem á bakaríið. |
Prepositions of Position
To describe where people and things are located in a neighborhood, you will frequently use these positional prepositions:
- yfir (over)
- undir (under)
- fyrir (in front of)
When describing a stationary location—where something simply is, rather than where it is moving to—these prepositions require the noun that follows them to be in the dative case.
| The cat is in front of the door. | Kötturinn er fyrir hurðinni. |
| The balcony is over the mailbox. | Svalirnar eru yfir póstkassanum. |
Putting It Together
You can easily combine sem clauses with these prepositions to point out specific people or things around town. Notice how the noun following the preposition remains in the dative case inside the sem clause.
| The dog that sits in front of the door is lost. | Hundurinn sem situr fyrir hurðinni er týndur. |
| Do you see the post office that is under the balcony? | Sérð þú pósthúsið sem er undir svölunum? |
| The baker is cleaning his mailbox which is under the window. | Bakarinn er að þrífa póstkassann sinn sem er undir glugganum. |