Breakdown of Vi måste släcka branden innan faran är stor.
vara
to be
vi
we
stor
big
måste
to have to, must
innan
before
branden
the fire
faran
the danger
släcka
to extinguish
Questions & Answers about Vi måste släcka branden innan faran är stor.
Does the word innan change the word order in the second half of the sentence?
innan (before) is a subordinating conjunction, meaning it introduces a dependent clause. In Swedish dependent clauses, the word order is strict: subject first, then the verb. We can see that here with innan followed immediately by the subject faran and then the verb är. If there were a negation like inte (not), it would have to squeeze in between the subject and the verb!
I learned that 'fire' is eld. Why does this sentence use branden?
Swedish has two common words for fire. en eld is usually a controlled or intentional fire, like a cozy campfire. en brand is an uncontrolled, dangerous fire, like a house fire or forest fire. Since this sentence is about putting out a dangerous emergency, branden is the natural choice.
Why is the verb släcka in its infinitive form instead of the present tense släcker?
Because it comes right after måste (must). The word måste is a modal verb, and just like in English, it forces the action verb that follows it into its infinitive (dictionary) form. Notice that you do not use att (to) between them.
How do we know faran means 'the danger' and not just 'danger'?
The base word is en fara (a danger). By adding the -n at the end of this en-word, it becomes the definite form faran (the danger). You can see the same grammatical concept with en brand, which adds -en to become branden (the fire).
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