Breakdown of Það sem við getum ekki samþykkt er hræsnin.
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
ekki
not
við
we
sem
who / which / that
geta
to be able to
samþykkja
to accept
hræsnin
the hypocrisy
Questions & Answers about Það sem við getum ekki samþykkt er hræsnin.
Why do we use það sem here instead of hvað to translate the English word "what"?
In Icelandic, hvað is reserved for direct or indirect questions. When you mean "the thing that" or "that which", you must use the abstract pseudo-cleft construction það sem. Using hvað at the start of this sentence would incorrectly make it sound like a question.
How does the V2 (verb-second) rule apply to this sentence when the main verb er is so far into the sentence?
The entire relative clause það sem við getum ekki samþykkt acts as a single noun phrase functioning as the subject of the sentence. Because this whole phrase occupies the first "slot" in the sentence, the main verb er correctly falls into the second slot right after it.
Why is the verb samþykkt in this specific form?
The verb geta (here as getum) always forces the following main verb into the supine form, which looks identical to the neuter singular past participle. Samþykkt is the supine form of samþykkja (to accept or approve).
What case is hræsnin in, and why?
It is in the nominative case. The verb vera (here as er) connects two things that are equal, so both the subject phrase and the complement hræsnin (the hypocrisy) must take the nominative. Hræsni is a feminine noun, and the -n at the end is the attached definite article.
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