Connectors That Are Phrases, Not Words
Swedish builds much of its written argument out of fixed multi-word connectors. They behave like single adverbs — they can open a clause and trigger inversion — but you have to learn them whole, because none of them is predictable from its parts.
| connector | English | what it does |
|---|---|---|
| med andra ord | in other words | restates |
| i stort sett | broadly speaking | hedges |
| i själva verket | in fact, actually | corrects |
| i och för sig | admittedly | concedes |
| för övrigt | incidentally | adds an aside |
| i synnerhet | in particular | narrows |
| In other words, the project is delayed. | Med andra ord är projektet försenat. |
Notice the word order. When one of these opens the sentence, the verb still comes second — Med andra ord *är projektet försenat, not *Med andra ord projektet är.
Hedging and Conceding
I stort sett and för det mesta both soften a claim, but differently: i stort sett says mostly true in its outlines, while för det mesta says usually, on most occasions. I och för sig grants your opponent a point before you take it back — it is the Swedish admittedly.
| Admittedly you are right, but I do not agree. | I och för sig har du rätt, men jag håller inte med. |
Quantity and Time
Till stor del means to a large extent. Än så länge means so far — it marks a state that is true up to now and may not stay true, which is why it so often sits beside a future. Hur som helst closes a digression: anyway, in any case.
| So far everything is working well. | Än så länge fungerar allt bra. |
Do not confuse hur som helst with the pattern hur ADJEKTIV som helst (however X you like) — same words, different construction.
