Learn Swedish: Vare sig diplomaten vill det eller inte, måste vi samarbeta. - Whether the diplomat wants to or not, we must cooperate.

Vare sig diplomaten vill det eller inte, måste vi samarbeta.

Whether the diplomat wants to or not, we must cooperate.

Breakdown of Vare sig diplomaten vill det eller inte, måste vi samarbeta.

Questions & Answers about Vare sig diplomaten vill det eller inte, måste vi samarbeta.

How do I know when to use vare sig ... eller instead of antingen ... eller?

Antingen ... eller means "either ... or" and is used when a choice will decide the outcome. Vare sig ... eller means "whether ... or" and is used to show that the outcome (vi måste samarbeta) happens regardless of the options given.

Why do we need the word det after vill?

In English, we can leave the thought hanging with just "wants to". Swedish prefers not to leave verbs like vill hanging. It uses det (it) as a placeholder to refer to the unstated action. So literally, the sentence says "Whether the diplomat wants it or not".

Why is the word order inverted to måste vi after the comma?

This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action. The entire first clause (Vare sig diplomaten vill det eller inte) acts as the first block of information. To keep the main verb in the second position, the verb måste must come right after the comma, before the subject vi.

What does vare sig literally mean on its own?

It is a fixed historical expression that literally means "be it", coming from an old form of the verb vara (to be) and the reflexive pronoun sig. Today, it is only used as a frozen phrase, so you just need to memorize vare sig ... eller as a single unit meaning "whether ... or".