Það er nauðsynlegt að ráðstefnan sé í Reykjavík.
It is necessary that the conference be in Reykjavik.
Breakdown of Það er nauðsynlegt að ráðstefnan sé í Reykjavík.
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
Reykjavík
Reykjavik
að
that (conjunction)
nauðsynlegur
necessary
ráðstefnan
the conference
Questions & Answers about Það er nauðsynlegt að ráðstefnan sé í Reykjavík.
Why do we use sé instead of the normal present tense er?
sé is the present subjunctive of the verb vera (to be). In Icelandic, phrases expressing necessity, desire, or subjectivity—like Það er nauðsynlegt að... (It is necessary that...)—trigger the subjunctive mood in the clause that follows. Notice how formal English sometimes does this too: "It is necessary that the conference be in Reykjavik."
Is sé used for all subjects in the present subjunctive?
No, the present subjunctive of vera is irregular and changes depending on the pronoun. The singular forms are ég sé, þú sért, and hann/hún/það sé. Because ráðstefnan (the conference) is a third-person singular subject, it takes sé.
Why does the adjective nauðsynlegt end in -t?
It is in the neuter singular form to agree with the dummy subject það (it) at the beginning of the sentence. In Icelandic, any general statement that starts with "It is [adjective]" will always use the neuter form of the adjective.
What case is Reykjavík in here, and why?
It is in the dative case. The preposition í (in) governs the dative case when it describes a stationary location or state (where something currently is). If there were movement involved—like traveling into Reykjavik—it would trigger the accusative case instead.
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