The formal relative particle (er)

The Formal Relative Particle er

In everyday spoken and written Icelandic, you use sem to mean "who", "which", or "that". In classical poetry, literature, and elevated academic texts, you will frequently encounter the formal relative particle er instead.

which / who (formal)
er

Just like sem, the particle er connects a relative clause to a noun. It is indeclinable, meaning it never changes form to match the word it describes.

The reader analyzes the literary work which she wrote.
Lesandinn greinir skáldaverkið er hún ritaði.
He explains the theme which the author uses often.
Hann útskýrir stefið er höfundurinn notar oft.

Er (Which) vs. Er (Is)

Er is also the present tense form of the verb vera (to be) for ég, hann, hún, and það. Rely on sentence structure to tell them apart: when er acts as a relative particle, it immediately follows a noun to introduce a descriptive clause.

Notice how the first er in this sentence means "which", while the second is the main verb meaning "is":

The poetry which glorifies the king is profound.
Skáldskapurinn er vegsamar kónginn er djúpstæður.

Analyzing Poetic Themes

When discussing profound themes or analyzing poetry, substituting sem with er lends your writing a dignified, classical tone.

The metaphor which you see here is profound.
Myndhverfingin er þú sérð hér er djúpstæð.
The melancholy which the poet experiences is his theme.
Treginn er skáldið upplifir er stef hans.

Finally, er can be used after a comma to add descriptive, non-essential information about a subject, functioning exactly like "which" or "who" in an English non-restrictive clause:

Her poetry, which glorifies the spring, is a known literary work.
Skáldskapur hennar, er vegsamar vorið, er þekkt skáldaverk.
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