Learn Hardcore Swedish: Läkaren försöker förklara vad oro är och hur den påverkar kroppen. - The doctor tries to explain what anxiety is and how it affects the body.

Läkaren försöker förklara …
= The doctor is trying to explain … (a specific doctor the speaker/listener already knows about, or one that has just been introduced).
En läkare försöker förklara …
= A doctor is trying to explain … (some doctor, not specified which one).

So the sentence as given is talking about a particular, identifiable doctor, not just any doctor.

Why is there no Swedish equivalent of “is” in “is trying”? Why just försöker?

Swedish normally doesn’t have a separate “-ing” form like English. The simple present tense often covers both:

Läkaren försöker förklara …
can mean both
- The doctor tries to explain … and
- The doctor is trying to explain …

If you really want to emphasize “right now / in progress,” Swedish can use constructions like:

Läkaren håller på att förklara … – The doctor is in the middle of explaining …

But in most everyday contexts, present tense alone (försöker, förklarar, påverkar) is enough and is the natural choice.

Why is there no att before förklara (why not försöker att förklara)?

In Swedish, many “helper” or modal-like verbs are usually followed directly by an infinitive without att. Försöka is one of them.

Common verbs that usually skip att before an infinitive:

kan (can) – kan förklara
vill (wants to) – vill förklara
ska (will/shall) – ska förklara
måste (must) – måste förklara
brukar (usually does) – brukar förklara
försöker (tries to) – försöker förklara

So:

Läkaren försöker förklara … is the default, natural form.
Läkaren försöker att förklara … also exists, but sounds more formal or old‑fashioned, and many speakers simply avoid att here in modern usage.

Why is oro without any article? Why not en oro or oron?

Here oro is used as an abstract, general concept: “what worry/anxiety is” in general, not a specific instance of worry.

In Swedish, many abstract or mass nouns are used without an article when you talk about them in a general sense:

Vad är kärlek? – What is love?
Vad är lycka? – What is happiness?
Vad är oro? – What is worry/anxiety?

If you add an article, the meaning changes:

vad en oro är – what a worry is (one particular worry; sounds odd here)
vad oron är – what the worry is (a specific, known worry)

So vad oro är is the natural way to say “what worry/anxiety is” as a concept.

Why is it den in hur den påverkar kroppen and not det?

The pronoun must match the grammatical gender of the noun it refers to.

oro is an en‑word (common gender): en oro
The corresponding third‑person singular pronoun for common‑gender nouns is den.

So:

oro → den (it)
hur den påverkar kroppen = how it (the worry/anxiety) affects the body

If the noun were an ett‑word, you’d use det instead:

ett problem → det
hur det påverkar kroppen – how it (the problem) affects the body

Could we drop den and say hur oro påverkar kroppen instead?

Yes, you can say:

Läkaren försöker förklara vad oro är och hur oro påverkar kroppen.

Grammatically it’s fine and understandable. The version with den is often preferred in normal speech and writing because:

It avoids repeating oro immediately.
It sounds a bit smoother and more natural stylistically.

So both are correct; den is a stylistic choice, not a grammar requirement here.

Why is the word order vad oro är and not vad är oro?

Vad oro är is an indirect (embedded) question, a type of subordinate clause used as the object of förklara.

Key rule:

In a main clause question, Swedish has V2 word order (verb in 2nd position):
- Vad är oro? – What is worry/anxiety?
In a subordinate clause, Swedish uses subject–verb order (no V2):
- vad oro är – literally what worry is

So:

Direct question: Vad är oro?
Embedded in a larger sentence: … förklara vad oro är.

The English also changes:

“What is worry?” → “explain what worry is”, not “explain what is worry.”
Swedish follows the same pattern.

Why is the word order hur den påverkar kroppen and not hur påverkar den kroppen?

Same principle as with vad oro är: this is a subordinate clause (an indirect question) after förklara.

Direct question (main clause):
Hur påverkar den kroppen? – How does it affect the body?
Here the verb påverkar comes before the subject den (V2).
Embedded/subordinate clause:
hur den påverkar kroppen – how it affects the body
Here the subject (den) comes before the verb (påverkar).

So the pattern is:

Main clause question: Hur påverkar den kroppen?
Inside another clause: … hur den påverkar kroppen.

Why is it kroppen (the body) and not kropp or din kropp?

Kroppen is the definite form: kropp + -en → kroppen = “the body.”

Two points:

General “the body”
Here we’re talking about the body in general, not one random body. In Swedish, for that general concept you use the definite form:
- Hur påverkar det kroppen? – How does it affect the body?
Definite instead of a possessive
In many cases where English uses my/your/his/her, Swedish prefers just the definite form:
- Jag borstar tänderna. – I brush my teeth.
- Hon tvättar håret. – She washes her hair.

So kroppen naturally covers “the body” or “your body/the body” depending on context.
En kropp would sound like “a (random) body,” which is not what is meant.

What exactly does oro mean? Is it the same as ångest or rädsla?

Oro is a fairly broad word meaning worry, concern, unease, anxiety (in a non‑technical sense).

Rough distinctions:

oro – worry, feeling of unease or nervousness, not necessarily very intense
- Jag känner oro inför provet. – I feel worried about the exam.
rädsla – fear, often about something more concrete or immediate
- Han kände rädsla när han såg hunden. – He felt fear when he saw the dog.
ångest – anxiety in a stronger or more clinical sense; can be intense, overwhelming
- Hon har svår ångest. – She has severe anxiety.

In everyday speech, oro is milder and more general than ångest, and often closer to “worry” or “concern.”

What does påverkar mean, and do I need a preposition after it?

Påverkar is the present tense of påverka, which means “to affect” / “to influence.”

Important points:

It is transitive — it takes a direct object, no preposition:
- påverkar kroppen – affects the body
- påverkar ekonomin – affects the economy
- påverkar mig mycket – affects me a lot

You do not say påverkar på kroppen; just påverkar kroppen.

Could we say Läkaren förklarar vad oro är och hur den påverkar kroppen instead? What would change?

Yes, that’s also correct:

Läkaren förklarar vad oro är och hur den påverkar kroppen.

The difference is in aspect/nuance:

försöker förklara – is trying to explain
Emphasizes the attempt. Maybe it’s difficult, or the doctor isn’t sure the patient will understand.
förklarar – explains / is explaining
Focuses on the action itself, as something that is (successfully) happening.

So the original sentence highlights that the doctor is making an effort to explain, not just calmly stating information.