Breakdown of Hunden som sover i snön är varm, trots att det är kallt ute.
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
hunden
the dog
varm
warm
kall
cold
ute
outside
i
in
sova
to sleep
snön
the snow
som
who / which / that (relative pronoun)
trots att
although, in spite of the fact that
Questions & Answers about Hunden som sover i snön är varm, trots att det är kallt ute.
Why do we use trots att here instead of just trots?
Trots is a preposition meaning "despite" and must be followed by a noun (for example, trots kylan meaning "despite the cold"). Because we are following it with a full clause that has its own subject and verb (det är kallt ute), we have to use the subjunction trots att ("despite that" or "even though").
Could I use även om in this sentence instead of trots att?
Yes, but there is a slight difference in nuance. Trots att means "despite the fact that" and is used here because it is an established fact that it is cold outside. Även om translates to "even if" and is traditionally used for hypothetical situations, though Swedes frequently use it for established facts in casual speech too.
Why is varm written without a -t but kallt has one?
Adjectives must agree with what they describe. Varm describes hunden, which is an en word, so it takes the basic form. Kallt describes the general weather using the "dummy subject" det, and det always requires the neuter -t ending on adjectives.
If I wanted to say "even though it is not cold outside", where would inte go in this sentence?
It would be trots att det inte är kallt ute. Because trots att introduces a subordinate clause (a dependent clause), sentence adverbs like inte must come before the verb. This is a great place to remember the BIFF rule: "I Bisats (In a subordinate clause) kommer Inte Före (comes Inte Before) det Finita verbet (the finite verb)."
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