Breakdown of Du ser spänd ut, men hon verkar avslappnad.
du
you (singular)
hon
she
men
but
verka
to seem, to appear
se ut
to look, to appear
spänd
tense
avslappnad
relaxed
Questions & Answers about Du ser spänd ut, men hon verkar avslappnad.
Why is the word spänd placed between ser and ut?
Ser ut is a particle verb meaning "looks" or "appears". When you use it with an adjective to describe how someone looks, the adjective goes right between the verb (ser) and the particle (ut). So "you look tense" becomes du ser spänd ut.
Why doesn't verkar have an extra word like ut at the end?
While ser ut (looks) is a particle verb made of two words that split around the adjective, verkar (seems) is a regular single-word verb. You just put the adjective directly after it, just like in English: hon verkar avslappnad (she seems relaxed).
Would spänd and avslappnad change if the subject was an ett-word like 'barnet' (the child)?
Yes! Because these are predicative adjectives describing the subject, they must match its gender. If you were describing an ett-word like barnet, you would add a -t to the end of the adjectives: barnet ser spänt ut and det verkar avslappnat.
Where do the adjectives spänd and avslappnad come from?
They are both formed from verbs. Spänd is the past participle of spänna (to tighten/stretch), and avslappnad comes from the particle verb slappna av (to relax). In Swedish, you will often use these verb forms as normal adjectives to describe a state or impression.
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