Breakdown of Vi kan inte ge upp nu, utan vi måste hålla ihop.
vi
we
nu
now
inte
not
kunna
to be able to, can
Questions & Answers about Vi kan inte ge upp nu, utan vi måste hålla ihop.
Why is utan used here instead of men to mean "but"?
You use utan instead of men when the first part of the sentence is negative (here, Vi kan inte) and the second part provides the direct alternative or opposite action. If you just wanted to add contrasting information without correcting the negative statement, you would use men.
How does ge upp work here, and which word gets the spoken stress?
Ge upp is an idiomatic particle verb meaning "to give up". The verb (ge) and the particle (upp) work together to create a specific meaning. In spoken Swedish, the stress always falls heavily on the particle, so you should emphasize upp.
Is hålla ihop also a particle verb?
Yes! Hålla usually means "to hold", and ihop means "together". Combined as a particle verb, they take on the abstract meaning "to stick together" or "to stay united". Just like with ge upp, the spoken stress goes on the particle (ihop).
Does the conjunction utan trigger inverted word order in the second clause?