Breakdown of Han hade redan plockat undan skräpet.
han
he
ha
to have
redan
already
plocka undan
to clear away
skräpet
the trash
Questions & Answers about Han hade redan plockat undan skräpet.
How should I pronounce the particle verb plockat undan? Which word gets the stress?
In Swedish particle verbs, the stress usually lands heavily on the particle (the little word), not the main verb. Here, you should put the stress on undan, so it is spoken as 'plockat UNDAN'.
Could I put the particle at the end, like 'Han hade redan plockat skräpet undan'?
No, Swedish is stricter about this than English! While in English you can say 'cleared the trash away', in Swedish the particle (undan) almost always stays right next to the verb (plockat) when the object is a regular noun like skräpet.
Why does redan (already) come between the two verbs?
This follows the standard Swedish word order for main clauses. The conjugated verb hade takes the second position (the V2 rule). Sentence adverbs like redan usually come immediately after that first verb, which pushes the second verb (plockat) further down the sentence.
Does plocka mean 'clear'?
On its own, plocka usually means 'pick' or 'gather' (like picking flowers or berries). But when combined with the particle undan (away or aside), the complete particle verb plocka undan takes on the specific meaning of 'clear away' or 'tidy up'.
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