Breakdown of De berättar för oss att de är föräldralediga nu.
vara
to be
de
they
nu
now
oss
us
berätta
to tell
för
for, to
att
that
föräldraledig
on parental leave
Questions & Answers about De berättar för oss att de är föräldralediga nu.
How does the pronoun shift work in this indirect speech sentence?
If we heard them speak directly, they would say, "We are on parental leave" (Vi är föräldralediga). Because we are reporting what they said in indirect speech, the pronoun vi (we) changes to de (they) to logically match who is actually doing the telling.
Why is it berättar för oss instead of just berättar oss?
Unlike the English "tell us", you cannot attach a person directly to the Swedish verb berättar. You always have to say that you tell something to or for someone by using the preposition för. If you left it out, the grammar would be incorrect and confusing.
Can I drop the word att like we often drop "that" in English?
In English you can easily say "They tell us they are on leave" without "that". In standard Swedish, however, you should keep att to connect the main sentence to the reported speech. While native speakers might occasionally drop it in fast, casual talk, keeping att is the rule you should practice.
Why does the word föräldralediga end in an "a"?
Föräldraledig is a compound word made from förälder (parent) and ledig (off work). Here, it acts as an adjective describing the subject de (they). Since de is plural, the adjective gets the standard plural ending -a.
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