Breakdown of Han dricker vattnet, för han är törstig.
vara
to be
han
he
vattnet
the water
dricka
to drink
törstig
thirsty
för
because (coordinating)
Questions & Answers about Han dricker vattnet, för han är törstig.
Can I use därför att instead of för here?
Yes, both can mean "because". However, för is a coordinating conjunction, which means it simply links two complete, independent sentences together like a bridge. It is very common in everyday speech and keeps the word order of the second sentence nice and simple!
I thought Swedish had a "verb-second" rule. Why isn't the verb right after för?
The "verb-second" (V2) rule applies inside a single clause. Coordinating conjunctions like för, och, men, and eller sit outside the clause, acting as a link between two separate sentences. Because för doesn't count as the first position, han is position one of the new clause, and the verb är correctly takes position two.
Why is the word for "the water" vattnet and not vattenet?
The basic word for water is ett vatten. To make an ett-word definite ("the water"), you add the ending -et. However, because vatten already ends in an unstressed -en, Swedish drops the extra e to make it easier to pronounce. So, vatten plus -et becomes vattnet.
The English translation says "is drinking," but isn't dricker just "drinks"?
Swedish does not have a separate continuous tense (like "is doing") as English does. The standard present tense verb dricker translates to both "drinks" and "is drinking" depending on the context. Since he is doing the action right now, "is drinking" is the most natural English translation.
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