Questions & Answers about Skilsmässan lär bli väldigt dyr för honom.
How do we know if lär means hearsay or probability in this sentence?
It depends entirely on the context. Lär can mean the speaker is making a strong logical guess based on facts, or that they are repeating gossip they heard from someone else. Both the probability and hearsay meanings fit perfectly here.
The English translation says 'to be'. Why use bli instead of vara?
In Swedish, bli is heavily used for future outcomes or things that turn out a certain way. Since the final cost of the divorce is a future result of an ongoing process, Swedish prefers bli (to become or turn out to be) over vara (to be).
Why does the adjective dyr not have a -t at the end?
Adjectives must agree with the noun they describe, even when they come after a verb like bli. Because skilsmässa is an en-word, the adjective stays as dyr. If the subject were an ett-word, it would be dyrt.
How is the word skilsmässan built?
It is the definite form of en skilsmässa. The first part comes from the verb skilja (to separate) or skiljas (to get divorced). The ending -mässa historically refers to an event, gathering, or mass.