Breakdown of Það er mikilvægt að starfsfólkið sé framúrskarandi.
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
að
that (conjunction)
mikilvægur
important
starfsfólkið
the staff
framúrskarandi
outstanding
Questions & Answers about Það er mikilvægt að starfsfólkið sé framúrskarandi.
Why do we use sé instead of er in this sentence?
The phrase Það er mikilvægt (It is important) expresses a value judgment. In Icelandic, passing judgment or expressing an opinion about a situation triggers the evaluative subjunctive in the following að-clause. That is why we use the present subjunctive sé rather than the indicative er.
Starfsfólkið refers to a group of people, so why does it take the singular verb sé?
Although it refers to multiple people, starfsfólkið is a collective noun. Grammatically, it is a neuter singular noun, so it strictly requires a 3rd person singular verb in Icelandic.
Should framúrskarandi decline to match the neuter noun starfsfólkið?
No, framúrskarandi never changes form. It is a present participle (recognized by the -andi ending, similar to English '-ing'). When these are used as adjectives, they are completely indeclinable, meaning they look exactly the same for all genders, cases, and numbers.
Could I translate 'for the staff to be' using an infinitive instead of an að-clause?
No, you cannot use an infinitive here. Unlike English, Icelandic requires a full subordinate clause with a conjugated verb after expressions like Það er mikilvægt. You must use að followed by a subject and a subjunctive verb.
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