Breakdown of Familjen kom flyende till sjukhuset.
familjen
the family
komma
to come
till
to (direction, destination)
sjukhuset
the hospital
fly
to flee
Questions & Answers about Familjen kom flyende till sjukhuset.
Why does the word for "fleeing" end in -ende instead of the usual -ande?
The present participle is typically formed by adding -ande to the verb stem (like springa becoming springande). However, for short verbs that end in a stressed vowel other than -a (like fly, tro, or bo), you add -ende instead. This is why fly becomes flyende.
How does the grammar of kom flyende work in Swedish?
Swedish frequently pairs a verb of motion, like komma (to come) or gå (to go), with a present participle to describe exactly how the movement happened. Here, flyende acts as an adverb of manner telling us how the family arrived. It maps perfectly to the English structure "came fleeing."
If we changed the subject to a plural word like "they" (de), would flyende need a plural ending?
No. When present participles are used like this, they are completely invariable. They never change their form to match the subject's gender or number. Whether it's one person or many people, it remains exactly the same: De kom flyende.
Why do we use the preposition till here instead of på for the hospital?
Because till expresses motion toward a destination ("to the hospital"). If the sentence used på sjukhuset, it would mean the family was already located at or inside the hospital while they were fleeing, rather than running to the hospital to seek safety.
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