Breakdown of Þetta er staðallinn sem við verðum að uppfylla.
þetta
this
vera
to be
við
we
sem
who / which / that
verða að
to have to
staðallinn
the standard
uppfylla
to fulfill
Questions & Answers about Þetta er staðallinn sem við verðum að uppfylla.
Why do we use the neuter pronoun Þetta when the noun it refers to, staðallinn, is masculine?
When introducing or identifying a noun using the verb vera (to be), Icelandic uses the neuter singular pronoun þetta (or það) regardless of the noun's actual gender. You are essentially saying 'This [thing] is the standard.' Once it has been introduced, you would switch to using the masculine pronoun hann in the following sentences to refer back to staðallinn.
The word for 'the standard' is staðallinn. What happens to the root word staðall when it changes cases or becomes plural?
Staðall is a strong masculine noun ending in -all. When we add endings that start with a vowel, like the plural -ar or dative -i, it loses its second a. This vowel dropping is very common in Icelandic. Because of this, the plural 'standards' becomes staðlar, rather than 'staðallar'.
Why use verðum að here instead of þurfum að for 'must fulfill'?
While both can translate to 'have to' or 'must', verða að expresses a stronger, more absolute external obligation or rule. This fits perfectly here because meeting a standard is usually a strict external requirement. Þurfa að leans slightly more toward a personal need or circumstantial requirement.
Is uppfylla (to fulfill) a separable verb? Could we move upp to the end of the sentence?
No, uppfylla is an inseparable compound verb in Icelandic. While Icelandic does have many phrasal verbs where the preposition or adverb jumps to the end of the clause, the prefix upp- here stays firmly and permanently attached to the front of fylla.
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