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Kycklingen är tyvärr smaklös.

Kycklingen är tyvärr smaklös.
The chicken is unfortunately tasteless.
From Lesson 200:Object emphasis·Swedish

Breakdown of Kycklingen är tyvärr smaklös.

vara
to be
tyvärr
unfortunately
kycklingen
the chicken
smaklös
tasteless

Questions & Answers about Kycklingen är tyvärr smaklös.

Why does tyvärr come after the verb instead of at the beginning or end of the sentence?
In a standard Swedish main clause that starts with the subject, sentence adverbs like tyvärr (unfortunately), inte (not), or ofta (often) are placed immediately after the verb.
The current lesson is about moving words to the front for emphasis. Can I start this sentence with tyvärr?
Yes! If you want to emphasize the regret, you can start with the adverb. Just remember the strict "V2" rule in Swedish: the verb must be the second block of information. If you put tyvärr first, the subject and verb must swap places: Tyvärr är kycklingen smaklös.
Could I even move the adjective smaklös to the beginning of the sentence to emphasize it?
You actually can! Topicalizing a predicative adjective works the same way as topicalizing an object. If you want to heavily emphasize how bland the food is, you put it first, immediately followed by the verb to satisfy the V2 rule: Smaklös är kycklingen tyvärr. This sounds quite dramatic, similar to saying "Tasteless, that's what the chicken is."
How is the word smaklös formed?
It is built from the noun smak (taste or flavor) and the suffix -lös, which means "without" (working exactly like the English suffix "-less"). Adding -lös to nouns is a very common and productive way to create adjectives in Swedish.

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