When describing an action taken despite a strong feeling or condition, you can use a fronted concessive clause. Much like the English "Terrified as I was...", Swedish uses a fronted adjective followed by som.
The Basic Structure
Start the sentence with an adjective, followed by som, the subject, and a copula verb (like var "was" or kändes "felt").
Because this descriptive clause occupies the first position, it acts as a single block of information. This triggers the V2 (verb-second) rule, meaning the main clause that immediately follows MUST begin with a verb.
| Terrified as I was, I tried to overcome the phobia. | Livrädd som jag var, försökte jag övervinna fobin. |
| Irrational as the phobia was, I mastered it in the end. | Irrationell som fobin var, behärskade jag den till slut. |
| Incurable as the claustrophobia felt, the therapy helped me. | Obotlig som klaustrofobin kändes, hjälpte terapin mig. |
Adjective Agreement
Even though the adjective is moved to the front of the sentence, it must still agree in gender and number with the subject. If the subject is plural, the fronted adjective takes the plural ending (usually -a).
| Terrified as they were, they went into the elevator. | Livrädda som de var, gick de in i hissen. |
| Terrified as the client was, the psychologist had to expose him to the spider. | Livrädd som klienten var, måste psykologen exponera honom för spindeln. |