Questions & Answers about Vem tar hand om barnet?
Why does the sentence use "tar hand om" instead of a single verb?
Tar hand om is a common fixed phrase that means 'takes care of' or 'looks after'. Literally, it translates to 'takes hand about'. In Swedish, you use this expression exactly like you use 'takes care of' in English.
Why does om mean 'of' here? Doesn't it usually mean 'about' or 'if'?
Yes, om often translates to 'about' or 'if', but prepositions rarely match up perfectly across languages. In the specific phrase ta hand om, the preposition is always om. It helps to learn the whole phrase together rather than translating it word by word.
How do we know barnet means 'the child' and not 'the children'?
Barn is an ett word. To make it singular definite ('the child'), you add the suffix -et to get barnet. If it were plural definite ('the children'), the suffix would be -en, making it barnen.
Is vem always followed directly by the verb?
It is followed directly by the verb when vem is the subject doing the action, like in this sentence. If vem is the object receiving the action (like 'Who are you helping?'), the verb comes next but the subject follows it immediately: Vem hjälper du?
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