Breakdown of Ifall torkan fortsätter måste vi vattna fältet.
vi
we
måste
to have to, must
fortsätta
to continue
vattna
to water
fältet
the field
ifall
if / in case
torkan
the drought
Questions & Answers about Ifall torkan fortsätter måste vi vattna fältet.
Why does the second part of the sentence start with måste instead of vi?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action! The entire conditional clause (Ifall torkan fortsätter) acts as the first block of information in the main sentence. Because the main verb must always come in the second position, måste swaps places with the subject vi.
What is the difference between using ifall and om in this sentence?
In conditional sentences, they are almost completely interchangeable and both mean "if". Ifall sometimes carries a slight nuance of "in the event that" or "in case," but saying Om torkan fortsätter would mean exactly the same thing here.
Is torkan related to the verb for "to dry"?
Yes! They look identical in their base form (torka). Here, it is an en-word noun meaning "a drought" or "dryness," making torkan the definite form ("the drought"). You can also use att torka as a verb meaning "to dry" or "to wipe," but its position right after Ifall shows it is a noun here.
Why is the verb vattna not in the present tense (vattnar)?
It follows the modal verb måste (must). Just like in English, when you use a modal verb, the verb that comes right after it must be in the infinitive (dictionary) form, even if the sentence is talking about a present or future action.
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