Breakdown of Han sa upp sig igår, så nu har han varit arbetslös i en dag.
vara
to be
han
he
en
a, an (common)
nu
now
ha
to have
igår
yesterday
i
for (duration)
dagen
the day
så
so
säga upp sig
to resign
arbetslös
unemployed
Questions & Answers about Han sa upp sig igår, så nu har han varit arbetslös i en dag.
Why does the sentence use the simple past sa upp sig in the first half, but the present perfect har varit in the second?
This shows a classic contrast! The first event (sa upp sig, resigned) happened at a specific, finished time in the past (igår, yesterday), so we use the simple past (preteritum). The second state (har varit arbetslös, has been unemployed) started in the past but continues right now (nu), so we use the present perfect to connect the past to the present.
How does sa upp sig mean "resigned"?
Sa is the past tense of säger (to say). The verb säga upp means to cancel or terminate a contract or subscription. When you make it reflexive by adding sig (oneself), säga upp sig literally means "to cancel oneself" from a job, which is how you say "to quit" or "to resign" in Swedish.
Is sa a regular past tense verb?
No, it is an irregular past tense form of att säga (to say). You might sometimes see it written formally as sade, but in modern everyday Swedish it is almost always both spelled and pronounced as sa.
Why is "for one day" translated as i en dag instead of using a word like "för"?
In Swedish, when you talk about how long an action or state lasts (the duration), you usually use the preposition i. You will use i for ongoing or completed durations (like i en dag for one day, or i tre år for three years). Avoid using a direct translation like "för", as it does not work for time durations in Swedish!
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