Questions & Answers about Han känner pulsen bulta när han ser björnen.
Why is it bulta (pound) instead of att bulta (to pound)?
Känna (to feel) is a verb of perception. In Swedish, when you describe feeling, seeing, or hearing an object perform an action, you use the object (here, pulsen) followed by the bare infinitive (the dictionary form of the verb without att). This works just like English: "he feels his pulse pound", not "he feels his pulse to pound".
Why does the Swedish sentence say pulsen (the pulse) instead of hans puls or sin puls (his pulse)?
In Swedish, you typically use the definite form of a noun instead of a possessive pronoun for body parts or things inherently attached to a person, as long as the owner is obvious from the context. Since it is clear he is feeling his own pulse, pulsen naturally translates to "his pulse".
Could I use slå (beat) instead of bulta?
Yes, Han känner pulsen slå (He feels his pulse beat) is grammatically perfectly fine. However, bulta specifically means to pound or throb heavily. Using bulta paints a more vivid picture of how hard his heart is working because he is scared of the bear.
Do other verbs trigger this "bare infinitive" pattern just like känner does here?