Breakdown of Igår var skådespeleriet svagt, vilket inte imponerade på recensenten.
vara
to be
inte
not
igår
yesterday
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
vilket
which (ett) / what a (ett-word, exclamatory)
skådespeleriet
the acting
svag
weak
imponera
to impress
recensenten
the critic
Questions & Answers about Igår var skådespeleriet svagt, vilket inte imponerade på recensenten.
Why do we use vilket here instead of som?
Normally, som is used for "which" or "that" when referring back to a specific noun. However, in this sentence, the relative pronoun refers to the entire previous event (the fact that the acting was weak). When referring back to a whole clause rather than just one word, you must use vilket or the phrase något som.
Why does inte come before the verb imponerade here?
The word vilket starts a subordinate clause (a dependent clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence). In Swedish subordinate clauses, sentence adverbs like inte always go before the verb. This is known as the BIFF rule. If it were a main clause, the verb would come first, as in det imponerade inte.
Why is there a på after imponerade?
In Swedish, the verb imponera requires the preposition på when you mention who is being impressed. You always imponera på someone, whereas in English you simply impress someone.
Why is the verb var placed before the subject skådespeleriet?
This is a classic example of the V2 rule. Because the sentence starts with the time expression Igår, the verb var must take the second position. The subject skådespeleriet is then pushed to the third position.
How is the word skådespeleriet formed?
The base word is the ett-word skådespeleri (acting). To say "the acting", we add the definite ending -et to the end, resulting in skådespeleriet.
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