Breakdown of Rädda hunden innan branden når huset!
hunden
the dog
huset
the house
innan
before
nå
to reach
branden
the fire
rädda
to save
Questions & Answers about Rädda hunden innan branden når huset!
Why do we use innan for "before" instead of framför?
innan is a conjunction used for time, connecting two actions like "before an event happens." Here, it connects saving the dog to the time the fire reaches the house. You would use framför for physical space, meaning "in front of."
Why is the verb rädda used here instead of the present tense räddar?
Because this sentence is a command! The imperative form (used for giving orders) of most verbs that end in -a in their infinitive form stays exactly the same. Since the infinitive is att rädda (to save), the command is simply Rädda!.
Does the word order change in the clause after innan?
innan starts a subordinate clause, but the basic word order here remains Subject + Verb + Object (branden når huset). Just remember that if you needed to add a sentence adverb like inte (not) or alltid (always), it would jump in before the verb in a subordinate clause.
What kind of verb is når and what is its infinitive?
The infinitive is nå (to reach). It belongs to a small group of short verbs that end in a vowel other than -a. To form the present tense for these short verbs, you simply add an -r to the end, giving us når.
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