Breakdown of Han tittar på mig som om jag vore ett spöke.
jag
I
vara
to be
ett
a, an (neuter)
han
he
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
mig
me
spöket
the ghost
titta
to look (direct your eyes)
som om
as if
Questions & Answers about Han tittar på mig som om jag vore ett spöke.
What is the word vore, and why don't we use är (am) here?
vore is a special form of the verb vara (to be) used specifically for imaginary or hypothetical situations. Even though he is looking at you right now in the present tense, you are not actually a ghost. Because it is an unreal comparison, Swedish uses vore after som om, exactly like how in English we say 'as if I were' instead of 'as if I am'.
Could I use the regular past tense var instead of vore?
Does the phrase som om change the word order of the sentence?
som om starts a subordinate clause (a dependent clause). While the subject still comes before the verb (jag vore), this means the 'BIFF rule' applies if you add a sentence adverb like inte (not). If you wanted to say 'as if I were not a ghost', the inte must come before the verb: som om jag inte vore ett spöke.
Why do we need the preposition på after tittar?
Just like in English where you look 'at' someone, the Swedish verb tittar usually requires the preposition på when you specify what or who is being looked at. Without på, it would sound like 'He looks me' rather than 'He looks at me'.
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