Breakdown of De ställde in föreställningen eftersom strömmen försvann.
de
they
försvinna
to disappear
ställa in
to cancel
eftersom
since, because
föreställningen
the performance (show)
strömmen
the power (electrical)
Questions & Answers about De ställde in föreställningen eftersom strömmen försvann.
How would we change this sentence to use the "future in the past" from our current lesson, like "They were going to cancel..."?
You would use skulle followed by the bare infinitive ställa. The sentence would become: De skulle ställa in föreställningen eftersom strömmen försvann (They were going to cancel the performance because the power went out).
Why is in used after ställde? Does it mean "put in"?
Ställa in is a phrasal verb that means "to cancel". While ställa on its own usually means "to put" or "to set", adding the particle in completely changes its meaning. When speaking, remember that the stress falls heavily on the word in.
Försvann literally means "disappeared", so why does the translation say the power "went out"?
In Swedish, it is the standard idiom to say that the electricity or power "disappears" (strömmen försvinner) rather than saying it "goes out" or "dies". Försvann is the irregular past tense of försvinna (to disappear).
Since eftersom strömmen försvann is a subordinate clause, what would happen to the word order if we moved it to the very beginning?
If you start the sentence with the eftersom clause, you must follow the V2 (verb-second) rule for the main clause. The entire subordinate clause counts as the first "block" of information, so the verb ställde must come immediately after the comma: Eftersom strömmen försvann, ställde de in föreställningen.
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