Questions & Answers about Vi andas in och ut.
Why does andas end in an -s? Doesn't that usually mean it's a passive verb?
Normally, adding an -s to a verb makes it passive in Swedish. However, andas is a deponent verb. These are special verbs that always end in -s but have a normal, active meaning. Here, andas simply means "breathe", not "is breathed."
What is the infinitive (dictionary form) of andas, and does the -s ever go away?
The infinitive is also andas, and the -s never goes away! Deponent verbs keep their -s in every tense. For example, the past tense is andades (breathed), keeping the -s firmly at the end.
In English we "breathe in" and "breathe out". Does Swedish treat in and ut as part of a particle verb here?
Yes, andas in and andas ut act as particle verbs. This means the direction words in and ut are strongly tied to the action. When you say this sentence out loud, the spoken stress (emphasis) should fall heavily on in and ut rather than on andas.
I've seen the noun en ande (a spirit or ghost). Is it related to andas?
Yes! They share the same root. In Swedish, the related noun en anda means "a breath" or "a spirit." The verb andas comes from this same historical concept of breath as a life force.
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