Breakdown of Det är intressant att jämföra priserna.
Questions & Answers about Det är intressant att jämföra priserna.
Why does the sentence start with Det?
In this sentence, det is a dummy subject (also called a formal subject). Swedish often uses Det är ... att ... where English might use either It is ... to ... or just an infinitive phrase.
So in Det är intressant att jämföra priserna, the real idea is att jämföra priserna. Swedish puts det first and delays the infinitive phrase until later.
A more literal structure is:
- Det är intressant = It is interesting
- att jämföra priserna = to compare the prices
This pattern is very common in Swedish.
Could I also say Att jämföra priserna är intressant?
Yes, that is grammatically correct.
Both are possible:
- Det är intressant att jämföra priserna
- Att jämföra priserna är intressant
The version with det is often more natural and common in everyday Swedish. The version starting with the infinitive phrase can sound a bit more formal, written, or stylistically marked.
So as a learner, Det är intressant att ... is a very useful default pattern.
Why is there att before jämföra?
Here att is the infinitive marker, like English to.
- att jämföra = to compare
After expressions like Det är intressant ..., Swedish normally uses att + infinitive:
- Det är svårt att förstå. = It is difficult to understand.
- Det är roligt att lära sig svenska. = It is fun to learn Swedish.
So att is needed here because jämföra is in the infinitive.
Why is it jämföra and not jämför?
Because after att, Swedish uses the infinitive form of the verb.
- jämföra = infinitive, to compare
- jämför = present tense, compares / compare
So:
- att jämföra = to compare
- han jämför = he compares
- vi jämför = we compare
In this sentence, the verb is not the main finite verb. The finite verb is är. The phrase att jämföra priserna is an infinitive phrase.
Why is it priserna and not priser?
Priserna is the definite plural form of pris.
The forms are:
- ett pris = a price
- priset = the price
- priser = prices
- priserna = the prices
So priserna means the prices, not just prices in general.
Swedish usually marks definiteness by adding an ending to the noun, instead of using a separate word like the.
Here, priserna suggests specific prices, for example the prices of certain products, stores, or services.
Why is the adjective intressant in that form?
Because it is functioning as a predicate adjective after är, and the thing being described is treated as neuter singular.
In Swedish, when an infinitive phrase like att jämföra priserna is the real subject, the adjective usually appears in the -t form:
- Det är intressant att läsa.
- Det är svårt att veta.
- Det är roligt att resa.
So intressant is the expected form here.
Compare:
- en intressant bok = an interesting book
- ett intressant ämne = an interesting subject
- böckerna är intressanta = the books are interesting
What exactly is the role of att jämföra priserna in the sentence?
It is an infinitive phrase, and it expresses the activity that is being described as interesting.
So the sentence structure is roughly:
- Det = formal subject
- är = finite verb
- intressant = predicate adjective
- att jämföra priserna = infinitive phrase, the real content/subject
In other words, the sentence is saying that the activity of comparing the prices is interesting.
Is the word order important here?
Yes. Swedish normally follows the V2 rule in main clauses: the finite verb comes in the second position.
Here:
- Det = first position
- är = second position
So Det är intressant att jämföra priserna has normal Swedish word order.
If you add another element at the beginning, the verb still stays second:
- Ibland är det intressant att jämföra priserna.
Notice that är still comes early, before det.
This is an important difference from English word order.
How do you pronounce jämföra?
A helpful rough guide is:
- j sounds like English y
- ä sounds somewhat like the e in bed
- ö has no exact English equivalent, but it is a rounded front vowel
So jämföra starts roughly like yem-...
A rough learner-friendly approximation is:
- YEM-fur-a or YEM-fœ-ra
That is not perfect, but it points you in the right direction.
Also note:
- är is often pronounced a bit like air in many varieties of Swedish, though not exactly the same.
Can att ever be left out in a sentence like this?
No, not in this structure.
After Det är intressant ..., Swedish needs att before the infinitive:
- Det är intressant att jämföra priserna.
You cannot say:
- Det är intressant jämföra priserna.
Swedish does omit att in some other situations, especially after modal verbs:
- Jag kan jämföra priserna. = I can compare the prices.
- Jag vill jämföra priserna. = I want to compare the prices.
But after Det är intressant ..., att is required.
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