Breakdown of Vi läser boken därför att vi antar mördaren gömmer sig.
vi
we
boken
the book
läsa
to read
sig
oneself / himself / herself / themselves
därför att
because
gömma
to hide
anta
assume
mördaren
the killer
Questions & Answers about Vi läser boken därför att vi antar mördaren gömmer sig.
Where exactly is the omitted att (that) in this sentence?
It belongs right after antar. The full phrase would be vi antar att mördaren gömmer sig. Just like in English, Swedish often drops att when it connects a verb of thinking or saying to the clause that follows it.
Can I also drop the att from därför att?
No, you cannot. Därför att is a fixed conjunction meaning 'because'. You can only drop att when it acts as the word 'that' introducing a new clause, like after verbs such as antar (assume) or tror (believe).
Why do we need sig at the end of the sentence?
The verb att gömma (to hide) needs an object. If you hide a thing, you name the thing. If someone is hiding themselves, the verb becomes reflexive. Since mördaren (the killer) is hiding himself, we must use the third-person reflexive pronoun sig.
Could we use eftersom instead of därför att here?
Yes, you could say eftersom vi antar. Both mean 'because'. Därför att is usually used when giving a brand new reason or directly answering a 'why' question, while eftersom is often used when the reason is already known to the listener.
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