Questions & Answers about Han blir ofta stressad av mörka rum.
What does the word in bold, blir, mean here, and what tense is it?
Blir is the present tense of bli (to become). Here it means “becomes/gets,” so the sentence means “He often gets stressed by dark rooms.” With ofta (often), it describes a habitual tendency.
Why is ofta placed after blir? Where do adverbs go in Swedish main clauses?
Swedish follows the V2 (verb-second) rule: the finite verb must be in second position. In a neutral main clause with a subject first, the verb comes next, and then come mid-field adverbs like ofta:
- Han [blir] ofta [stressad av mörka rum]. If you front something else (like an adverb), you invert:
- Ofta blir han stressad av mörka rum.
Can I say Han blir stressad ofta av mörka rum?
It’s not idiomatic. Swedish strongly prefers Han blir ofta stressad av mörka rum or, with fronting, Ofta blir han stressad av mörka rum. Placing ofta at the end or after the adjective sounds odd in this sentence.
What’s the difference between blir and är here?