Breakdown of Það er mikilvægt að grilla samlokuna sem best til þess að hún verði mjög stökk.
vera
to be
hún
she
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
mjög
very
að
to (infinitive marker)
mikilvægur
important
verða
to become; will be
best
best (adverb / neuter)
grilla
to grill
til þess að
so that (in order to)
sem
as ... as possible (with superlative)
stökkur
crispy
samlokan
the sandwich
Questions & Answers about Það er mikilvægt að grilla samlokuna sem best til þess að hún verði mjög stökk.
Why does the sentence use sem best to mean "as well as possible"?
The word sem followed by a superlative adverb or adjective creates an absolute superlative. It translates to "as [blank] as possible". Here, best is the superlative form of the adverb vel (well), so sem best translates naturally to "as well as possible".
Why is the verb verði used instead of verður?
The phrase til þess að (so that / in order to) expresses a purpose or an intended outcome. In Icelandic, this triggers the subjunctive mood. Therefore, we use the subjunctive form verði rather than the indicative verður.
Why is the adjective stökk in the nominative case, when the sandwich (samlokuna) was in the accusative earlier?
The word stökk (crispy) describes hún (it), which is the subject of the second clause (hún verði mjög stökk). Since subjects are in the nominative case, the adjective must agree with it and take the feminine singular nominative form.
Could I shorten til þess að to just til að in this sentence?
No, because it is followed by a full clause with a new subject and verb (hún verði). You use the full til þess að before a subordinate clause like this, whereas the shorter til að is generally only used directly before a verb in the infinitive (for example, til að grilla).
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