Breakdown of De varken träffas eller hörs.
de
they
eller
or
varken
neither
träffas
to meet each other
hörs
to hear from each other
Questions & Answers about De varken träffas eller hörs.
Why do the verbs träffas and hörs end in an -s here?
The -s at the end of these verbs makes them reciprocal, meaning the action happens to each other. Instead of just meeting or hearing someone else, de träffas means "they meet each other," and de hörs means "they hear from each other."
I learned that höra means "to hear". Why is it translated as "talk to each other" here?
While the base verb höra means "to hear," the reciprocal form hörs is an everyday expression meaning "to be in touch" or "talk to each other" (literally, to hear from one another). You will also often hear Swedes say Vi hörs! as a friendly way to say "Talk to you later!"
Do I need to add inte to make this sentence negative?
No, you shouldn't use inte (not) in this sentence. The word varken (neither) already makes the sentence negative on its own, so adding inte would be a double negative and sound incorrect.
How exactly do you use varken and eller together?
Varken ... eller is a fixed pair that means "neither ... nor". In Swedish, you simply place them right before the two things you are connecting. In this sentence, they connect the two verbs: varken träffas (neither meet) eller hörs (nor talk).
Could I use ses instead of träffas in this sentence?
Yes! The reciprocal s-verbs ses (from se, to see) and träffas both mean "to meet each other" and are very often used interchangeably. Saying De varken ses eller hörs would be completely natural and mean the exact same thing.
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