Breakdown of Det skulle vara vänligt av dig att hjälpa honom.
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
hjälpa
to help
att
to (before a verb)
dig
you (singular)
honom
him
av
of, by / from (cause)
skulle
would
vänlig
kind
Questions & Answers about Det skulle vara vänligt av dig att hjälpa honom.
How does skulle work here to make a polite statement?
The word skulle is the past tense of ska (will), but here it acts as a conditional meaning "would". It is followed by a verb in its dictionary form (the infinitive), which in this case is vara (be). Using skulle vara instead of är (is) softens the sentence, turning what could be a demand into a polite suggestion.
Why does the word for kind, vänlig, have a -t added to the end of it?
The adjective needs to match the word it describes. Here, it describes the subject det (it). Because det is a neuter word, the adjective must take its neuter form, becoming vänligt.
Why do we use av dig for "of you" instead of another preposition?
In Swedish, the phrase for expressing that someone's behavior is kind or nice is built exactly like in English, using the preposition av (of). It is a set phrase, so you cannot swap it for words like från (from).
Why is there an att before hjälpa?
The word att is the infinitive marker, which means "to" when it comes before a verb. Just like in English, you need it here to connect the polite phrase to the actual action being requested: "to help him" translates directly to att hjälpa honom.
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