Breakdown of Vore det okej att låna bastun?
det
it (neuter)
att
to
okej
okay
låna
to borrow
vore
would be
bastun
the sauna
Questions & Answers about Vore det okej att låna bastun?
Why does the sentence start with vore instead of skulle det vara?
Vore is a special, one-word way to say 'would be'. While you could absolutely say Skulle det vara okej, using vore makes the sentence shorter and often sounds a bit more polite or natural in hypothetical questions. Since this is a yes/no question, the verb vore is placed at the very beginning of the sentence.
The translation says 'borrow the sauna', but in English we usually say 'use the sauna'. Why use låna here?
In Swedish, it is extremely common to use låna (to borrow) for things you want to use temporarily, even if you cannot literally pick them up and take them with you. You will frequently hear Swedes ask to 'borrow' a restroom (låna toaletten), a phone, or in this case, a sauna (bastun).
What is the base form of bastun and how does its definite form work?
The base word is en bastu (a sauna). Because it is an en-word that already ends in a vowel, you only need to add an -n to make it definite: bastun (the sauna). It is in the definite form here because the speaker is asking about a specific sauna, likely the one in the host's house or apartment building.
Why do we need the word att before låna?
The word att works just like 'to' in the English phrase 'to borrow'. Because låna is an infinitive verb that is not directly following a helper verb like kan (can) or vill (want), you need the infinitive marker att to connect the action to the rest of the sentence: 'Would it be okay to borrow...'.
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