Word
Það er mikilvægt að starfsfólkið sé framúrskarandi.
Meaning
It is important that the staff be outstanding.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Það er mikilvægt að starfsfólkið sé framúrskarandi.
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
að
that (conjunction)
mikilvægur
important
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.