Breakdown of Det vore drömmen att bo i skogen.
det
it (neuter)
bo
to live
i
in
att
to
skogen
the forest
vore
would be
drömmen
the dream
Questions & Answers about Det vore drömmen att bo i skogen.
Is vore the same thing as skulle vara?
Yes! Vore is a special, one-word way to say "would be". It is a specific form (the past subjunctive) of vara (to be) used for hypothetical situations. You could completely swap it out and say Det skulle vara drömmen, but vore is shorter and extremely common in everyday Swedish.
Why is the definite form drömmen (the dream) used here? In English, we usually say "It would be a dream."
You can say en dröm (a dream) in Swedish too, but using the definite form drömmen is a very natural way to express "the ultimate dream" or "the perfect scenario". It adds a bit more emphasis, showing that this is the absolute ideal situation for the speaker.
Could I use leva instead of bo to mean "live" in this sentence?
No, bo is the right choice here. In Swedish, bo means to reside or have a physical home somewhere. Leva means to be biologically alive, or refers to your overall life experience. Since this sentence is about having a home in the forest, you must use bo.
Why does the sentence start with det (it)? Does it refer to the forest?
No, det is just a "dummy" placeholder here, exactly like "it" in the English translation. The actual subject of the sentence—the thing that is the dream—is the action att bo i skogen (to live in the forest). Because of this, you could actually flip the word order and say Att bo i skogen vore drömmen.
Learn Det vore drömmen att bo i skogen 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