Breakdown of Om miljonären var verklig, skulle han ge oss pengarna.
vara
to be
han
he
oss
us
pengarna
the money
ge
to give
om
if, whether
skulle
would
miljonären
the millionaire
verklig
real
Questions & Answers about Om miljonären var verklig, skulle han ge oss pengarna.
Why does the first part use the past tense var when we are talking about the present?
Just like in English, Swedish uses the past tense (preteritum) to show that a situation is hypothetical or unreal in the present. Saying Om miljonären var verklig means we know he is not actually real right now.
Why is it skulle han instead of han skulle after the comma?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action. The entire 'if' clause (Om miljonären var verklig) counts as the first block of information. Therefore, the verb of the main clause (skulle) must immediately follow the comma to take the second position, pushing the subject (han) to the third position.
Why is the adjective verklig and not verkligt or verkliga?
The adjective describes miljonären (the millionaire), which is a singular 'en' word. Therefore, it takes the basic 'en' form of the adjective, verklig. If it were describing an 'ett' word, it would be verkligt, and if it were plural, it would be verkliga.
Why is 'the money' translated as pengarna, which is a plural form?
In Swedish, the word for money is typically treated as a plural noun. The indefinite plural is pengar (money), so the definite form 'the money' becomes the definite plural pengarna.
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