Question 1

Why is "from here" written as one word, härifrån, instead of från här?

Accepted Answer

In Swedish, when combining a location word like här (here) or där (there) with "from", you use the suffix -ifrån. Saying från här sounds very unnatural to a Swede; they almost always use the compound adverb härifrån instead.

Question 2

Why is bra translated as "well" instead of "good" in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

The word bra works as both the adjective "good" and the adverb "well" in Swedish. While many adjectives add a -t to become an adverb, bra is an irregular exception. It stays exactly the same when describing how you do an action, which in this case is seeing.

Question 3

Could I change the word order to Vi kan se staden härifrån bra?

Accepted Answer

That would sound unnatural. When you have multiple adverbs at the end of a sentence, Swedish strongly prefers the order of Manner, then Place, then Time. Bra tells us how you see (manner), and härifrån tells us where you see it from (place), so bra must come first.

Question 4

Is it possible to use stan instead of staden here?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Stan is the very common, everyday spoken form of staden (the city). In normal conversation, you are highly likely to hear Vi kan se stan bra härifrån.

Vi kan se staden bra härifrån.

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