Question 1

How does the prefix o- work in the word ovänlig?

Accepted Answer

The prefix o- is a very common way to negate adjectives in Swedish, working just like 'un-' or 'in-' in English. Here, it attaches to vänlig (friendly) to create ovänlig (unfriendly). It directly builds the negation into the word, so you don't need to use a separate word like inte.

Question 2

Why is the preposition mot used here for 'towards'? Doesn't it usually mean 'against'?

Accepted Answer

It does often mean 'against', but in Swedish, mot is the standard preposition used when describing someone's behavior or attitude towards another person. You will see it frequently paired with adjectives of personality and behavior, such as snäll (kind), trevlig (nice), and ovänlig (unfriendly).

Question 3

Why does the adverb alltid come after är han?

Accepted Answer

This is a good refresher on the Swedish V2 (verb-second) rule. In a direct question starting with a question word like Varför, the verb (är) must take the second position. The subject (han) immediately follows the verb, and then comes the sentence adverb (alltid).

Question 4

Does the o- prefix change how the adjective agrees with plural subjects?

Accepted Answer

Not at all! The adjective still follows standard agreement rules. If the subject were plural, such as de (they), you would still add the plural -a to the end of the word, just like you would without the prefix: Varför är de alltid så ovänliga mot oss?

Varför är han alltid så ovänlig mot oss?

Breakdown of Varför är han alltid så ovänlig mot oss?

Questions & Answers about Varför är han alltid så ovänlig mot oss?

Learn Varför är han alltid så ovänlig mot oss and more in Swedish