Breakdown of Það var sagt að forsætisráðherrann væri veikur.
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
veikur
sick
að
that (conjunction)
segja
to say
forsætisráðherrann
the prime minister
Questions & Answers about Það var sagt að forsætisráðherrann væri veikur.
Why is the participle sagt in the neuter singular form here?
In the impersonal reporting passive structure Það var sagt að... (It was said that...), the dummy subject Það is always neuter singular. Therefore, the past participle sagt must agree with it, regardless of who or what is being discussed in the following að clause.
Why is væri used instead of the regular past tense var?
The verb væri is the past subjunctive form of vera (to be). In Icelandic, reported speech (what someone said, thought, or believed) usually triggers the subjunctive mood. Since the reporting clause Það var sagt is in the past tense, the reported verb shifts to the past subjunctive.
Why does the adjective veikur not agree with the neuter subject Það?
The adjective veikur (sick) belongs entirely to the subordinate clause að forsætisráðherrann væri veikur. It describes the prime minister (forsætisráðherrann, which is a masculine noun), so it takes the masculine singular nominative form. It has no grammatical connection to the dummy subject Það in the main clause.
How does the compound word forsætisráðherrann break down?
It is made up of forsæti (presidency or chair) and ráðherra (minister). The -nn at the very end is the attached masculine definite article, giving us 'the prime minister'.
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