Questions & Answers about Vad otäck filmen var!
Why does this sentence use vad when the English translation says "how"?
In Swedish, exclamations use vad (literally "what") instead of hur ("how"). You use hur when asking a direct question, but when you are reacting strongly to something, like saying "How scary!", you always use vad plus an adjective.
Why is the verb var at the very end of the sentence?
Exclamations starting with vad follow a specific word order that works just like a subordinate (dependent) clause. The structure is: the exclamation (vad otäck), then the subject (filmen), and finally the verb (var).
Why is the adjective otäck used instead of otäckt?
The adjective has to match the noun it describes. Because filmen is a singular en-word (from en film), the adjective takes the standard en-word form otäck. If the noun had been an ett-word like vädret (the weather), it would be vad otäckt vädret var!
Does otäck only mean "scary"?
No, otäck is a very useful word that covers a range of negative feelings. It can mean scary or creepy, but it is also commonly used to mean nasty, unpleasant, or disgusting, such as when describing a bad smell or a horrible accident.