Breakdown of Leikarinn stígur í forgrunninn til þess að tilfinningin sé sjáanleg.
vera
to be
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
leikarinn
the actor
stíga
to step
tilfinningin
the feeling
til þess að
so that (in order to)
forgrunnurinn
the foreground
sjáanlegur
visible
Questions & Answers about Leikarinn stígur í forgrunninn til þess að tilfinningin sé sjáanleg.
Why is sé used here instead of er?
The phrase til þess að translates to 'so that' and introduces a purpose clause. When the subject of this new clause (tilfinningin) is different from the main clause subject (leikarinn), Icelandic requires the subjunctive mood. Here, sé is the present subjunctive form of vera.
Could I just use an infinitive verb after til þess að in this sentence?
No, because the subject changes. If the actor were doing something so that he himself could be visible, you would use the infinitive: Leikarinn stígur í forgrunninn til þess að vera sjáanlegur. But since a new subject (tilfinningin) is introduced, you must use a full clause with a subjunctive verb.
Why is forgrunninn in the accusative case here rather than the dative?
The preposition í takes the accusative case when it describes movement or direction towards a destination (stepping into the foreground). If the actor were already standing stationary in the foreground, you would use the dative case: Leikarinn stendur í forgrunninum.
Why does the word for visible end in -leg here instead of -legur?
The adjective sjáanlegur (visible) must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it describes. Since tilfinningin (the emotion) is a feminine noun in the nominative singular, the adjective takes the feminine singular nominative form sjáanleg.
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