Breakdown of Företaget lär vara helt ruinerat nu.
vara
to be
nu
now
företaget
the company
hel
whole
lär
is said to / is likely to
ruinerad
ruined
Questions & Answers about Företaget lär vara helt ruinerat nu.
How does lär translate to 'reportedly' here, and how is it used?
The word lär is a special modal verb used to express hearsay ('I have heard that...') or a strong probability ('It is highly likely that...'). In this sentence, it shows that the speaker is reporting what they have heard about the company. It is always followed by a verb in the infinitive form, which is vara (to be) in this case.
Why do we use the infinitive vara instead of the present tense är?
Because lär functions as a modal verb. Just like with words for 'can' or 'must', a modal verb in Swedish is followed directly by the infinitive form of the main verb without an att (to) in between.
Why does ruinerat end with a -t?
ruinerat is a past participle being used as an adjective to describe the company. Because the noun it describes is an ett word (ett företag, here in the definite form företaget), the adjective must match it by taking the neuter -t ending.
Why is the word for 'completely' written as helt and not hel?
In this sentence, the word is functioning as an adverb because it modifies the adjective ruinerat, telling us the degree to which the company is ruined. To turn the adjective hel (whole) into the adverb 'completely' or 'entirely', you add a -t.
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