Breakdown of Það er þessi markvissa vinna sem tryggir framförina.
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
vinnan
the work
þessi
this (m/f)
sem
who / which / that
tryggja
to ensure
markviss
purposeful
framförin
the progress (improvement)
Questions & Answers about Það er þessi markvissa vinna sem tryggir framförina.
How does the structure Það er ... sem work in this sentence?
This is a cleft sentence, used to add emphasis. Just like the English "It is ... that ...", Icelandic uses Það er to highlight a specific part of the sentence (here, þessi markvissa vinna) and connects it to the main action using the relative pronoun sem (that/which).
Why does the adjective markvissa end in -a here?
The adjective markviss (purposeful) must take its weak declension because it is preceded by the demonstrative pronoun þessi (this). Since the noun it describes, vinna (work), is feminine singular and in the nominative case, the correct weak ending is -a.
What is the literal translation of markvissa?
The base word markviss is a compound made of mark (goal or target) and viss (certain or sure). Literally meaning "goal-certain," it is a great descriptive word for work that is purposeful, focused, or systematic.
What case is framförina in, and why?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb tryggja (to guarantee). It consists of the feminine singular noun framför (progress) plus the accusative definite article -ina. Remember that while "progress" is typically uncountable in English, Icelandic treats it as a standard countable noun.
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