Breakdown of Vem delade du lägenheten med tidigare?
du
you (singular)
vem
who
tidigare
earlier
lägenheten
the apartment
med
with
dela
to divide / to share
Questions & Answers about Vem delade du lägenheten med tidigare?
Why is med separated from vem and placed near the end of the sentence?
This is called preposition stranding, and it works much like it does in informal English. Instead of the formal 'With whom did you share...' (Med vem delade du...), everyday Swedish puts the question word (Vem) at the start and leaves the preposition (med) later in the clause.
If the preposition is stranded, why isn't med at the very end of the sentence after tidigare?
When we say a preposition is stranded 'at the end,' it means at the end of the core verb phrase (after the object lägenheten). Adverbs of time and place, like tidigare (earlier/before), still go at the absolute end of the sentence, following the stranded preposition.
Could I use förut or innan instead of tidigare to mean 'before' here?
You can absolutely use förut, which is very common as a standalone adverb meaning 'previously' or 'before.' However, avoid using innan. In Swedish, innan is generally used as a conjunction linking two actions, like in the phrase innan du flyttade (before you moved).
Does the verb dela (to share) always take the preposition med?
Yes, when you mean 'share with someone,' you use dela med. If you are dividing something into parts, you would use dela i (divide into), but for sharing an apartment, a meal, or an experience with a person, it is always dela med.
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