Breakdown of Sé klæðnaðurinn óviðeigandi, verður þér vísað út.
vera
to be
þú
you
út
out (motion outwards)
verða
to become; will be
vísa
to direct
klæðnaðurinn
the attire
óviðeigandi
inappropriate
Questions & Answers about Sé klæðnaðurinn óviðeigandi, verður þér vísað út.
Why does the sentence start with the verb Sé?
By dropping the word ef (if), you trigger V1 (verb-first) word order to form a conditional clause. When using this V1 conditional structure, the verb must be in the subjunctive mood, which is why it uses the subjunctive sé instead of the everyday indicative er.
Could I say this using ef instead?
Yes! If you put ef back in, the verb returns to its normal position after the subject, and it switches back to the indicative mood: Ef klæðnaðurinn er óviðeigandi...
Why is the pronoun þér in the dative case in the second half of the sentence?
The active verb vísa (to direct or show) governs the dative case for the person being directed (vísa einhverjum). When the sentence is turned into a passive structure (you will be directed), Icelandic preserves that original case, giving us a dative subject.
If þér means you, why is the verb verður in the third-person singular instead of matching you?
In Icelandic, verbs only agree with subjects in the nominative case. Because þér is dative, the verb does not conjugate to match it. Instead, the auxiliary verb (verður) and the main verb (vísað) both default to the impersonal third-person singular neuter form.
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