Questions & Answers about Vi skyndar oss längs bäcken.
Why is there an oss in this sentence? Doesn't vi skyndar already mean 'we hurry'?
In Swedish, the verb for 'to hurry' is reflexive: att skynda sig. You literally say 'we hurry ourselves' (vi skyndar oss). You will almost always use this reflexive form when talking about people rushing somewhere.
The current lesson mentions both längs and längs med. Could we use längs med here instead?
Yes, absolutely! Längs and längs med both mean 'along' and are completely interchangeable here. Saying längs med bäcken means the exact same thing, though adding med can sometimes sound a little more casual or conversational.
Is bäcken related to the word backen (the hill)?
They look similar but are entirely different words! Bäcken is the definite form of en bäck, meaning a small stream or brook. Backen is the definite form of en backe, which means a hill or slope. Pay close attention to the ä!
If I move 'Along the stream' to the start of the sentence, what happens to the word order?
Because of the V2 rule, the verb must stay in the second position. The subject (vi) and the reflexive pronoun (oss) follow immediately after the verb. The sentence becomes: Längs bäcken skyndar vi oss.
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