Breakdown of Jag ser alla springa mot folkmassan.
jag
I
se
to see
springa
to run
alla
all
mot
towards, against
folkmassan
the crowd
Questions & Answers about Jag ser alla springa mot folkmassan.
Why is there no att (to) before springa?
After verbs of perception like ser (see) and hör (hear), Swedish uses the object (alla) followed directly by the bare infinitive (springa). It works exactly like English in this case: "I see everyone run" (not "to run").
In English, we would often say "I see everyone running". How do I express that "-ing" form in Swedish?
You still just use the infinitive (springa). Swedish does not use present participles (words ending in -ande or -ende) after verbs of perception. Both "I see everyone run" and "I see everyone running" translate to Jag ser alla springa.
How is the word folkmassan built?
It is a compound noun made of folk (people) and massa (mass/crowd). The -n at the end makes it definite ("the"). So, en folkmassa is "a crowd", and folkmassan is "the crowd".
Does the preposition mot mean "towards" or "against"?
It can mean both, depending on the context! Here, because it is paired with a verb of physical motion (springa), it means "towards". If the context were stationary, like leaning on a wall, it would translate as "against".
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