Breakdown of Man borde hälsa på både värden och gästen.
och
and
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
gästen
the guest
man
one, you (people in general)
både
both
böra
should, ought to
värden
the host
hälsa
to greet
Questions & Answers about Man borde hälsa på både värden och gästen.
How is the verb borde used with hälsa in this sentence?
Borde is a modal verb meaning "should" or "ought to". Just like in English, it is followed immediately by the bare infinitive form of the next verb—hälsa—without using the word att (to) in between. This is the standard way to give advice or recommendations.
Wait, doesn't hälsa på usually mean "to visit"?
It can mean both "to visit" and "to greet" (or "say hello to")! In spoken Swedish, you can tell the difference by which word gets emphasized. If you stress hälsa, it means "greet", but if you stress på, it means "visit". In written Swedish, you just have to rely on context, and here "greet" makes the most sense.
How does the phrase både ... och work?
Både ... och is a fixed pair of words that translates directly to "both ... and". Here it is used to group the two people together: både värden och gästen (both the host and the guest).
Why use the general pronoun man instead of du (you)?
Man translates to "one" or a general "you". It is used when stating general advice, rules, or etiquette that applies to everyone in society, rather than speaking to one specific person.
Why do värden and gästen both end in -en?
These are the definite forms of the nouns en värd (a host) and en gäst (a guest). Just like in English, we say "the host" and "the guest" at a specific gathering, which in Swedish is done by attaching -en to the end of the noun.
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