Breakdown of Fjandinn! Það er sagt að hann stjórni frumvarpinu.
vera
to be
hann
he
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
að
that (conjunction)
segja
to say
fjandinn
the devil; damn it (mild oath)
stjórna
to control
frumvarpið
the bill (legislation)
Questions & Answers about Fjandinn! Það er sagt að hann stjórni frumvarpinu.
How does the impersonal reporting passive in Það er sagt að work in this sentence?
This structure translates directly to "It is said that". It uses the dummy pronoun það (it), the present tense of vera (er), and the neuter singular past participle of segja (sagt). You will use this exact pattern frequently to report news, rumors, or general beliefs without naming a specific speaker.
Why is the verb stjórni in the subjunctive mood here instead of the indicative stjórnar?
The verb stjórni is in the subjunctive because it is part of an indirect speech clause. When you report information using phrases like Það er sagt að (It is said that), the verb in the following clause usually shifts to the subjunctive to indicate that you are reporting secondhand information rather than stating a direct, absolute fact yourself.
Why does the word frumvarpinu (the bill) take the dative case?
The verb stjórna (to control or manage) is a case-assigning verb that always requires its object to be in the dative case. The base neuter word is frumvarp, and adding the dative neuter singular definite article gives us frumvarpinu.
What is the literal meaning behind the exclamation Fjandinn?
Fjandinn literally means "the devil" or "the fiend". It is the definite form of the masculine noun fjandi. In everyday Icelandic, it is a very common exclamation used just like "Damn it!" in English.
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