Breakdown of Vi överlever sjukdomen tack vare det medicinska framsteget.
vi
we
det
the (with ett-words)
överleva
to survive
medicinsk
medical
Questions & Answers about Vi överlever sjukdomen tack vare det medicinska framsteget.
When using tack vare in this sentence, does it imply something positive?
Yes! tack vare literally means "thanks to" and is only used when the cause is positive or helpful, like a medical advance. If you were talking about a negative cause, like dying because of a disease, you would use på grund av (due to) instead.
Why does the sentence use det medicinska framsteget instead of just medicinska framsteget?
This is a great refresher for Swedish "double definiteness." When a definite noun like framsteget (the advance) is described by an adjective like medicinska (medical), you also have to add the standalone definite article in front. Since framsteg is an "ett" word, we use det.
Is överlever a separable verb? Could I say lever över sjukdomen?
No, överleva (to survive) is an inseparable verb. The prefix över- (over) is permanently attached to leva (to live). Unlike some other Swedish verbs, you cannot split it into a verb and a particle.
How is the noun framsteget built?
It comes from the root word ett framsteg (an advance or progress). This is a compound of fram (forward) and steg (step). Literally, a "forward step"! The -et at the end makes it definite.