Breakdown of Kocken har bråttom, så det springs mycket i köket.
mycket
much / very
i
in
ha
to have
springa
to run
kocken
the chef
så
so
köket
the kitchen
det
there (dummy subject)
bråttom
in a hurry
Questions & Answers about Kocken har bråttom, så det springs mycket i köket.
Why use the passive form springs when running isn't a passive action?
This is a special use of the s-passive. When combined with the presentational det (there/it), Swedish often uses the s-passive form of intransitive verbs (verbs that don't take an object), like springa (to run). It describes a general activity happening without focusing on who exactly is doing it. In English, it translates nicely to "there is running" or "people are running".
How do you form the passive springs from the regular verb?
To make the present tense s-passive for most verbs, you take the regular active present tense form, drop the final -r, and add an -s. So the active springer (runs) becomes the passive springs.
Why does the sentence use har bråttom instead of är bråttom for "is in a hurry"?
In Swedish, you "have" a hurry rather than "are" hurried. The word bråttom is used with the verb ha (to have) to express being in a rush. This is similar to how Swedish uses ha for other states, like being right (ha rätt).
Why doesn't the verb come before the subject after så?
The word så (so) acts as a coordinating conjunction here, joining two separate main clauses. Because it connects two independent sentences and doesn't count as the first element inside the new clause, the normal word order applies: subject (det) followed by the verb (springs).
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