Learn Hardcore Swedish: Varför är det sämre än förra veckan, tror du? - Why is it worse than last week, do you think?

Swedish main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second place. Varför fills position 1, so är comes second, then the subject det.

Why is it det and not den?

Here det is a neutral/dummy subject referring to a general situation. Even if the implied referent is an en-word (e.g., situationen), Swedish often uses det in such predicate clauses. You’d use den only when explicitly referring back to a specific en-word noun: Situationen? Den är sämre.

Can I drop det and say Varför är sämre …?

No. Swedish requires an explicit subject in finite clauses. Det is obligatory here as the subject of är.

Why än and not som after a comparative?

After comparatives (e.g., sämre, bättre, större), Swedish uses än (than). Use som with equality: lika bra som.

Is the comma before tror du required?

It’s optional. The comma marks tror du as a parenthetical tag. You can omit it (more informal) or use a dash for a stronger break.

Present tense är with förra veckan—shouldn’t it be past (var)?

Present is correct: you’re describing the current state in comparison to last week. Use var only if the whole situation is in the past, e.g., Varför var det sämre i tisdags?

Should I use tycker du instead of tror du?

Use tror du for beliefs/guesses about facts and causes (why something happened). Tycker du is for opinions or subjective evaluations (good/bad, nice/ugly). Here, asking for a reason, tror du is natural.

Can I say Varför tror du att det är sämre än förra veckan?

Yes. That variant embeds the clause under tror du with att and is slightly more formal. The meaning is essentially the same.

What’s the difference between sämre and värre?

sämre is the regular comparative of dålig/dåligt and suits quality/performance: Vädret är sämre än i går.
värre is the comparative of illa and often implies greater severity/seriousness: Läget är värre nu. In many neutral comparisons, sämre is the safer choice here.

Does sämre change form for gender/number?

No. Comparative adjectives are invariable: sämre stays the same with den, det, and de. Superlatives can vary attributively (sämst/sämsta).

Why is it förra veckan and not förra vecka?

With förra (previous/last), the noun takes the definite form: veckan. So förra veckan is correct; förra vecka is ungrammatical.

What’s the difference between förra veckan and senaste veckan?

förra veckan = the calendar week immediately before this one.
senaste veckan = the past week (a rolling recent seven-day period).

Is än the same as ännu?

No. än means “than” in comparisons. ännu means “still/yet” or “even” in phrases like ännu bättre (even better).

Can I expand the comparison with vad, like … sämre än vad det var förra veckan?

Yes. … sämre än vad det var förra veckan is fully grammatical and explicit. In everyday speech and writing, the vad-clause is often omitted when the meaning is clear.

Where should the än-phrase go?

Keep it right after the comparative: … är … sämre än förra veckan …. Avoid splitting sämre and än with tror du in writing.

Any pronunciation tips?

In many accents, är det is pronounced with a retroflex d (r+d): roughly “är de”.
tror du often has the same retroflex effect across the word boundary.
än sounds like the e in “pen”; förra has a long, doubled consonant: [ˈfœrːa].
Intonation falls through the main clause and rises slightly on the final tag tror du?

Could I say Varför blev det sämre … or Varför har det blivit sämre …?

Yes, but those focus on the change (“Why did it become/has it become worse”). The original with är compares the current state to last week without emphasizing the process.

Do I need more than one question mark?

No. Use a single question mark at the end of the whole sentence. tror du functions like a tag question within the same sentence.