Breakdown of Stjórinn vill að vinnubrögðin verði betri.
góður
good
vilja
to want (to will, be willing)
að
that (conjunction)
verða
to become; will be
stjórinn
the boss
vinnubrögðin
the working methods
Questions & Answers about Stjórinn vill að vinnubrögðin verði betri.
Why is verði used here instead of the indicative verða?
The main verb vill (wants) expresses a desire or will for something to happen. When a verb of volition introduces an að-clause with a new subject (here, changing from stjórinn to vinnubrögðin), the verb in that clause must take the subjunctive mood. Therefore, the indicative verða becomes the present subjunctive verði.
If the boss wanted to improve himself, would we still use the að + subjunctive construction?
No. If the subject remains the same across both verbs, you do not use an að-clause with the subjunctive. You simply use the infinitive. It would be: Stjórinn vill verða betri (The boss wants to get better). The subjunctive is only triggered here because he wants something else (vinnubrögðin) to change.
Why does the Icelandic sentence use verði (become) rather than a form of vera (to be)?
Since vinnubrögðin is plural, why does verði look like a singular verb?
It actually is plural! In the present subjunctive, the third-person singular and the third-person plural of verða are identical: það verði (it becomes) and þau verði (they become). Because vinnubrögðin (the working methods) is a neuter plural noun, verði is the correct third-person plural subjunctive form.
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