Breakdown of Hon låtsas som om ingenting hände igår.
hon
she
igår
yesterday
hända
to happen
ingenting
nothing
som om
as if
låtsas
to pretend
Questions & Answers about Hon låtsas som om ingenting hände igår.
Does som om always force the past tense?
When expressing an unreal comparison (something that is not true), som om (as if) is followed by the past tense or vore (were), even if you are talking about the present. In this sentence, the action actually belongs to the past because of igår (yesterday), so the past tense hände feels very natural. For past unreal events, Swedes also frequently use the pluperfect: som om ingenting hade hänt (as if nothing had happened).
Why does låtsas end in an -s? Is it passive?
No, it is active! Låtsas (to pretend) is a deponent verb. These are verbs that always end in an -s in all tenses but have a completely active meaning. The present tense form is simply låtsas.
How does som om affect the word order here?
Som om introduces a subordinate clause. In Swedish subordinate clauses, the subject comes first, followed by any sentence adverbs, and then the verb. Here, ingenting is the subject and hände is the verb. If you added a sentence adverb like faktiskt (actually), it would go right between them: som om ingenting faktiskt hände igår.
Can I use inget instead of ingenting?
Yes, absolutely. When meaning "nothing" as a standalone pronoun, inget and ingenting are completely interchangeable. Inget is just a slightly shorter, more everyday alternative.
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