Breakdown of Kollegan påstod att lögnen var farlig.
vara
to be
kollegan
the colleague
att
that
farlig
dangerous
påstå
to claim
lögnen
the lie
Questions & Answers about Kollegan påstod att lögnen var farlig.
Why do we use var (was) here if the colleague was stating a general fact about the lie?
This happens because of "backshifting" in indirect speech, which is the main focus of this lesson. Since the reporting verb påstod (claimed) is in the past tense, the verb in the att-clause shifts to the past tense too. Even if the colleague's original exact words were "Lögnen är farlig" (The lie is dangerous), the är shifts to var to match the past-tense perspective of påstod.
How do I remember the past tense form påstod?
Look at the root of the word! Compound verbs in Swedish almost always conjugate exactly like their base verb. Påstå (to claim) ends with stå (to stand). Since stå becomes stod in the past tense, påstå simply becomes påstod.
I often confuse words ending in -an. Is kollegan singular or plural here?
Kollegan is singular (the colleague). For en-words that end in -a (like en kollega), you simply add an -n to make the definite form. It is very common to mix this up with plurals, but the plural "the colleagues" would be kollegorna.
Could I use att ljuga (to lie) instead of lögnen (the lie) here?
You could, but it changes the grammar slightly. Lögnen refers to a specific lie (a noun). If the colleague was talking about the action of lying in general, you would use a dummy pronoun and the infinitive verb: Kollegan påstod att det var farligt att ljuga (The colleague claimed that it was dangerous to lie). Notice that farlig would change to farligt to match det!
Learn Kollegan påstod att lögnen var farlig and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free