Breakdown of Han säger att han är vegetarian och att han aldrig äter fläskkött.
vara
to be
han
he
och
and
aldrig
never
äta
to eat
säga
to say
att
that
vegetarianen
the vegetarian
fläskköttet
the pork
Questions & Answers about Han säger att han är vegetarian och att han aldrig äter fläskkött.
Why does aldrig come before äter in this sentence?
This is because att han aldrig äter fläskkött is a subordinate clause (a clause starting with att). In Swedish, we use the BIFF rule for these clauses, which means that sentence adverbs like aldrig (never), inte (not), and alltid (always) must be placed before the verb. If this were a main sentence standing on its own, the verb would come first: Han äter aldrig fläskkött.
Why is att repeated after och?
It is best practice in Swedish to repeat the subjunction att (that) when linking two subordinate clauses with och (and). This makes it perfectly clear that the second part is also a subordinate clause, which reminds you that you need to use the special BIFF word order again.
The English translation says 'is a vegetarian', but where is the word for 'a' in Swedish?
In Swedish, you usually drop the indefinite article (en or ett) when stating someone's profession, nationality, or core personal identity like a dietary choice. Therefore, we say Han är vegetarian rather than Han är en vegetarian.
How is the word fläskkött built?
It is a compound word combining fläsk (pork or pork fat) and kött (meat). Swedish uses many compound words like this to describe specific meats, such as nötkött (beef) and kycklingkött (chicken).
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