Breakdown of Jag vill prioritera dels familjen, dels fritiden.
jag
I
familjen
the family
vilja
to want to
dels
partly (in dels ..., dels ...)
prioritera
to prioritize
fritiden
the free time
Questions & Answers about Jag vill prioritera dels familjen, dels fritiden.
What exactly does dels ..., dels ... mean, and how is it different from både ..., och ...?
Dels ..., dels ... is used to break a situation down into parts, translating roughly to 'partly ..., partly ...' or 'on one hand ..., on the other hand ...'. While både ..., och ... simply lists two things ('both ... and ...'), using dels focuses on the distinct components or factors of your priorities. It sounds a bit more analytical.
Why do we use the definite forms familjen and fritiden here, when the English translation just says 'family' and 'free time'?
In Swedish, abstract concepts or general categories like family (familj) and free time (fritid) generally take the definite form when you are talking about them in a broad, conceptual sense. So, it is grammatically natural in Swedish to say you are prioritizing 'the family' and 'the free time'.
Does the word dels affect the word order in this sentence?
Not in this specific sentence. Here, dels ..., dels ... is just acting as a pair of conjunctions connecting the two objects (familjen and fritiden). However, if you were to start a new clause with dels, it would count as the first position and force the verb into the second position, following the standard V2 rule.
Could I use dels just once if I only have one reason or priority?
No, dels is a correlative conjunction, which means it works in pairs. Just like 'neither... nor...' in English, you need the second dels to complete the thought. You are always balancing at least two parts.
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