Breakdown of Vi vägrar att ge upp, även om expeditionen inte kan överleva.
vi
we
inte
not
att
to
kunna
to be able to, can
ge upp
to give up
vägra
to refuse
även om
even if, even though
expeditionen
the expedition
överleva
to survive
Questions & Answers about Vi vägrar att ge upp, även om expeditionen inte kan överleva.
What is the difference between även om and trots att, and could we use trots att in this sentence?
Även om means "even if" and is used for hypothetical, future, or uncertain situations, like the survival of the expedition in this sentence. Trots att means "despite the fact that" and is used for factual, established situations. You would only use trots att here if the expedition was already definitively failing.
Why is inte placed before the verb kan?
This is a vital rule to remember! Because även om introduces a subordinate (dependent) clause, sentence adverbs like inte must be placed before the first verb. This is often taught as the BIFF-rule. If this were a standalone main clause, you would say expeditionen kan inte överleva.
Why do we need att before ge upp, but not before överleva?
The verb vägrar (refuse) requires the infinitive marker att (to) in order to connect to the next verb. However, kan (can) is a modal verb. Just like in English, modal verbs in Swedish connect directly to the next verb without using att.
How does the stress work when saying ge upp out loud?
Ge upp (give up) is a particle verb. In Swedish particle verbs, the emphasis is always placed heavily on the particle rather than the verb itself. So, when speaking this sentence, you should put the stress on upp, not on ge.
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