Breakdown of Gemenskapen är stark när vi förlåter varandra.
vara
to be
vi
we
när
when
stark
strong / spicy (of food)
varandra
each other
gemenskapen
the community
förlåta
to forgive
Questions & Answers about Gemenskapen är stark när vi förlåter varandra.
Why doesn't varandra change to match vi?
Varandra means "each other" and it is a fixed word. Unlike reflexive pronouns (like mig, dig, sig) that change depending on who is doing the action, varandra always stays exactly the same whether the subject is "we", "you" (plural), or "they".
Is gemenskapen related to other words? It looks like a compound word.
Yes! It comes from the adjective gemensam, meaning "common" or "mutual". The suffix -skap works just like "-ship" in English (like in "friendship"). So en gemenskap is a community or fellowship, and the -en on the end makes it "the" community.
Why is the word order normal in the second half of the sentence (när vi förlåter)? Doesn't när change the word order?
The word när (when) starts a subordinate clause. In a Swedish subordinate clause, the subject (vi) still comes right before the verb (förlåter). The word order only gets tricky here if you add a word like inte (not), which would squeeze in between the subject and the verb: när vi inte förlåter varandra.
Why is the adjective stark instead of starkt?
Adjectives in Swedish change to match the noun they describe. Stark (strong) describes gemenskapen. Since gemenskap is an "en-word", the adjective takes the base form stark. If it described an "ett-word", it would become starkt.
Learn Gemenskapen är stark när vi förlåter varandra and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free