Breakdown of Þau leita að yfirmanni sem sé skilvirkur og hugmyndaríkur.
vera
to be
og
and
þau
they (n)
sem
who / which / that
yfirmaðurinn
the boss (superior, supervisor)
að
for (searching for)
leita
to search
skilvirkur
efficient
hugmyndaríkur
imaginative
Questions & Answers about Þau leita að yfirmanni sem sé skilvirkur og hugmyndaríkur.
Why do we use the subjunctive 'sé' instead of the indicative 'er' in this sentence?
This is an example of the subjunctive being used in an indefinite relative clause. Because they are searching for a boss who fits these criteria, rather than describing a specific, existing boss they already know, the verb inside the sem clause takes the subjunctive sé. If they were describing a specific boss that definitely exists, they would use the indicative er.
Why is the word for boss 'yfirmanni' in the dative case here?
The phrasal verb leita að (to search for) always governs the dative case. Therefore, the nominative yfirmaður changes to the dative yfirmanni.
Since 'yfirmanni' is in the dative, shouldn't the adjectives 'skilvirkur' and 'hugmyndaríkur' also be dative?
No, because they belong to the relative clause sem sé skilvirkur og hugmyndaríkur. In this clause, the relative pronoun sem acts as the subject, so the adjectives describing it must be in the nominative case. They are masculine singular to match the gender and number of yfirmaður.
Could I use the genitive case with 'leita' instead of 'leita að'?
Yes, the verb leita can take the genitive directly without að. You could say Þau leita yfirmanns, which sounds a bit more formal but means the exact same thing. However, leita að followed by the dative case is very common and natural in everyday speech.
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