Breakdown of Kennarinn óskaði þess að stundvísin væri betri.
vera
to be
kennarinn
the teacher
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
góður
good
að
that (conjunction)
óska
to wish, to request (óska eftir)
stundvísin
the punctuality
Questions & Answers about Kennarinn óskaði þess að stundvísin væri betri.
Why is væri used here instead of the indicative var?
Væri is the past subjunctive of vera. It is required here because the main verb óskaði (wished) expresses volition or desire. Verbs of wishing, demanding, or suggesting trigger the subjunctive in the following að clause to show that the action is a desired state rather than an established fact.
Since this is a wish, could we use the present subjunctive sé instead of væri?
Not in this sentence, because Icelandic follows a strict sequence of tenses here. Since the main verb óskaði is in the past tense, the subordinate clause must use the past subjunctive (væri). If the main verb were in the present tense (óskar), you would then use the present subjunctive (sé).
Why is the word þess inserted right before að?
The verb óska requires its object to be in the genitive case. When the "object" of the wishing is an entire clause starting with að, Icelandic bridges the grammatical gap by using the dummy pronoun það in the genitive case (þess). It literally acts as though the teacher "wished of it that...".
What kind of noun is stundvísin and why is the definite article just -n?
Stundvísin is the definite form of the feminine noun stundvísi (punctuality). Abstract feminine nouns often end in -i. Because the base word already ends in a vowel, it simply takes the suffix -n to become definite in the nominative case, rather than the more common -in.
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