Breakdown of Vi vill vara oberoende och jobba ensamma.
vara
to be
vi
we
jobba
to work
och
and
vilja
to want to
ensam
alone
oberoende
independent
Questions & Answers about Vi vill vara oberoende och jobba ensamma.
Since vi is plural, why doesn't oberoende get an -a at the end?
Because oberoende is a present participle adjective ending in -ende. These adjectives are invariable, meaning they never change their shape. They stay exactly the same whether they describe an en-word, an ett-word, or a plural subject like vi.
If oberoende doesn't change for plural, why does ensamma get an -a?
ensam (alone) is a standard adjective, not a participle ending in -ande or -ende. Standard adjectives must agree with the noun they describe. Since it refers to the plural subject vi, it takes the regular plural ending -a to become ensamma.
How is the word oberoende built?
It comes from the verb att bero (to depend). Adding -ende turns it into the adjective beroende (dependent). Finally, adding the negative prefix o- (which works like un- or in- in English) gives you oberoende (independent).
Why do we use the infinitive jobba here instead of the present tense jobbar?
The word jobba shares the modal verb vill (want) with vara. The full thought is that we want to be independent and we want to work alone. Because it still follows vill, the verb must be in its infinitive form, jobba.
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