Breakdown of Lögreglan heimtar að maðurinn svari.
maðurinn
the man
svara
to answer
að
that (conjunction)
lögreglan
the police
Questions & Answers about Lögreglan heimtar að maðurinn svari.
Why is svari used here instead of the regular present tense svarar?
Because the main verb heimtar (demands) expresses a strong will or demand directed at a different subject (maðurinn). This triggers the subjunctive of volition in the að clause, requiring the present subjunctive svari.
How do we form the present subjunctive svari?
For most verbs ending in -a in the infinitive like svara, the present subjunctive is formed by changing that -a to an -i. The third-person singular form (matching maðurinn) takes this base -i ending, resulting in svari.
Why does Lögreglan take the singular verb heimtar when 'the police' takes a plural verb in English?
If the sentence were in the past tense ('The police demanded...'), how would the subjunctive verb change?