Breakdown of Om torkan fortsätter, blir skörden mycket dålig.
mycket
much / very
bli
to become
om
if, whether
dålig
bad
fortsätta
to continue
torkan
the drought
skörden
the harvest
Questions & Answers about Om torkan fortsätter, blir skörden mycket dålig.
Why does the second part of the sentence start with the verb blir instead of the subject skörden?
This is the famous V2 (verb-second) rule in action. The entire if-clause (Om torkan fortsätter) counts as the first block of information. Because the verb must come in the second position, the main verb (blir) has to step in right after the comma, pushing the subject (skörden) to the other side of the verb.
The English translation says 'will be very bad', so why do we use the present tense verb blir instead of a future tense like kommer att bli?
In Swedish conditional sentences, it is perfectly normal to use the present tense in the main clause to describe a future outcome. While kommer skörden att bli is also grammatically correct, simply using the present tense (blir) is usually preferred because it is shorter and more natural.
Could I use är instead of blir here to mean 'is very bad'?
You could, but it changes the meaning slightly. Är (is) makes it sound like the harvest is already bad right now. Blir (becomes / will be) emphasizes the transition or the future consequence: a bad harvest is the result that will happen if the drought continues.
Is the word torkan related to the verb att torka (to dry)?
Exactly! En torka is the noun form meaning 'a drought', and it takes the definite ending -n to become torkan (the drought). It comes from the exact same root as the verb att torka, which means to dry or to wipe.
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