Breakdown of Hann er sá sem sýnir frumkvæði.
vera
to be
hann
he
sýna
to show
sem
who / which / that
sá
that (demonstrative)
frumkvæðið
the initiative
Questions & Answers about Hann er sá sem sýnir frumkvæði.
Why do we use sá sem instead of just saying hann sem?
In English, we sometimes say "he who," but in Icelandic, you generally avoid attaching the relative word sem directly to a personal pronoun like hann. Instead, you use the demonstrative pronoun that matches in gender and number. Since we are referring to a masculine singular subject, we use sá, giving us sá sem (the one who).
Why is sá in the nominative case in this sentence?
It is in the nominative case because it is linked to the subject by the verb er (is). The verb vera (to be) connects a subject to a description, so both sides of the equation must be in the nominative. If sá were the object of an action, like "I see the one who...", it would change to the accusative: ég sé þann sem.
What case does the verb sýna take, and why does frumkvæði look unchanged?
The verb sýna (to show) takes a direct object in the accusative case. Frumkvæði (initiative) is a neuter noun, and its accusative form is identical to its nominative form, which is why it doesn't look like it has taken a new ending.
How does the verb sýnir know to be in the third-person singular form?
The relative particle sem acts as the subject of the clause "who shows initiative." Because sem itself has no gender, number, or person, it borrows them from the word it refers back to (its antecedent). Since it points back to sá (third-person singular), the verb becomes the third-person singular sýnir.
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