Breakdown of Motorn är trasig, så vi väntar här.
vara
to be
vi
we
här
here
vänta
to wait / to expect (a baby)
trasig
broken
så
so
motorn
the engine
Questions & Answers about Motorn är trasig, så vi väntar här.
Why is the word order vi väntar instead of väntar vi after så?
In this sentence, så acts as a coordinating conjunction, just like och (and) or men (but), to show a result. It connects two independent main clauses, so the second clause keeps the standard subject-verb word order: vi väntar.
How do we get the definite form motorn from the base word motor?
Normally, you add -en to make an en-word definite. However, for words ending in an unstressed -er, -el, or -or (like en motor), Swedish drops the extra vowel to make the word easier to say. So we just add -n to get motorn.
Why is it trasig and not trasigt?
Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because motor is an en-word, we use the base form trasig. If we were talking about an ett-word like a train (ett tåg), we would add a 't' and say tåget är trasigt.
Why does the Swedish sentence use väntar when the English says 'are waiting'?
Swedish does not have a continuous tense (the 'is/are doing' form) like English does. The single present tense verb väntar translates to both 'wait' and 'are waiting' depending on the context.
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