Breakdown of Det är orättvist att vi inte kan sova på grund av dem.
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
vi
we
inte
not
sova
to sleep
kunna
to be able to, can
dem
them
att
that
på grund av
because of
orättvis
unfair
Questions & Answers about Det är orättvist att vi inte kan sova på grund av dem.
How does the prefix o- change the meaning of orättvist?
The prefix o- is the Swedish equivalent of the English prefixes un- or in-, used to create opposites. The base adjective is rättvis (fair). Adding o- makes it orättvis (unfair). It ends with a -t here (orättvist) because it describes the neuter pronoun det (it).
Why is inte placed before the verb kan in this sentence?
Because att vi inte kan sova is a subordinate clause (a clause that starts with a subjunction like att). In Swedish, sentence adverbs like inte must come before the conjugated verb in a subordinate clause. You might remember this as the BIFF rule. In a regular main clause, the order is flipped: Vi kan inte sova.
Why do we use på grund av instead of därför att or för att?
På grund av translates directly to the phrase because of or due to and must be followed by a noun or an object pronoun like dem. You cannot use därför att or för att here, because those mean because and require a full clause with a subject and a verb to follow them.
Why is it dem at the end instead of de?
Because it comes directly after the preposition av. Prepositions in Swedish take the object form of a pronoun. De is the subject form (they), while dem is the object form (them). Keep in mind that in everyday spoken Swedish, both are almost always pronounced as dom.
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