Breakdown of Skulle de ha väntat förgäves om de inte hade vågat?
de
they
inte
not
ha
to have
vänta
to wait / to expect (a baby)
om
if, whether
skulle
would
våga
to dare
förgäves
in vain
Questions & Answers about Skulle de ha väntat förgäves om de inte hade vågat?
Why does the sentence start with skulle instead of om?
This is an unreal past conditional, but it is phrased as a question! Because it's a question, the main clause (Skulle de ha väntat förgäves) comes first and uses inverted word order, putting the verb (skulle) before the subject (de). The om (if) clause then follows it.
Why is inte placed before hade in the om clause?
This is a great time to refresh the rule for subordinate clauses! A clause starting with om is a subordinate clause. While inte normally goes after the first verb in a main clause, it must go before the first verb (hade) in a subordinate clause.
Does the -s at the end of förgäves mean it is a passive verb?
No, it's not a verb at all. Förgäves is an adverb meaning "in vain" or "uselessly." Several Swedish adverbs naturally end in -s (like delvis or precis). It's a fixed word and doesn't change form.
In everyday speech, would a Swede pronounce every word in skulle de ha väntat?
Very often, no. In spoken and informal written Swedish, the word ha is frequently dropped entirely after auxiliary verbs like skulle. You will very commonly hear and see: Skulle de väntat förgäves...
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