Breakdown of Það er furðulegt að villidýrið skuli ráfa um miðbæinn.
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
um
around
að
that (conjunction)
miðbærinn
the city center
skulu
to shall / to promise to
furðulegur
strange (bizarre)
villidýrið
the wild animal
ráfa
to wander
Questions & Answers about Það er furðulegt að villidýrið skuli ráfa um miðbæinn.
Why use skuli ráfa here instead of just the subjunctive verb ráfi?
Using the modal verb skulu (here in the subjunctive form skuli) combined with an infinitive like ráfa is the classic way to express subjective surprise or disbelief in Icelandic. While að villidýrið ráfi is grammatically correct, adding skuli emphasizes the speaker's shock that this event is actually taking place. It perfectly mirrors the English structure where we say that the animal 'should' wander.
Why is skulu conjugated as skuli in this sentence?
Skuli is the present subjunctive form for singular subjects. It is required here because the að-clause follows a phrase expressing a personal opinion or emotion (Það er furðulegt). Such subjective triggers generally force the verb in the following clause into the subjunctive mood.
Why is miðbæinn in the accusative case after the preposition um?
The preposition um takes the accusative case when it describes movement around, across, or through a physical space. Because the animal is wandering around the city centre, the masculine noun miðbærinn changes to its accusative form, miðbæinn.
What role does Það play at the start of this sentence?
Það acts as a dummy subject. In Icelandic, when the true subject of the sentence is an entire að-clause (in this case, the fact that the animal is wandering), you must place það at the front to fill the required grammatical subject position. You cannot simply start the sentence with Er furðulegt.
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