Breakdown of Fördraget är viktigt, vare sig det är nytt eller gammalt.
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
viktig
important
gammal
old
eller
or
ny
new
vare sig
whether
fördraget
the treaty
Questions & Answers about Fördraget är viktigt, vare sig det är nytt eller gammalt.
How do we use vare sig ... eller in this sentence?
This is a paired conjunction that translates to "whether ... or" in English. You use it to show that the main point (Fördraget är viktigt) remains true regardless of the two alternatives presented (nytt and gammalt).
I thought vare sig ... eller meant "neither ... nor". Why does it mean "whether ... or" here?
The meaning actually changes depending on whether the sentence is positive or negative! In a positive sentence like this one, it means "whether ... or". If the main sentence had a negative word like inte (not), then vare sig ... eller would translate to "neither ... nor".
Do I ever need to change the sig in vare sig to match the subject, like vare mig?
No, vare sig is a completely frozen expression. Even though it historically comes from an old form of the verb vara (to be) and the reflexive pronoun sig, it never changes, regardless of whether the subject is "I", "you", "it", or "they".
Why do the adjectives viktigt, nytt, and gammalt all end in -t?
They all describe the noun fördraget (the treaty). Because ett fördrag is a neuter noun (an ett-word), all adjectives linked to it must take the neuter -t ending to match. Notice that the pronoun det (it) is also in the neuter form for the exact same reason.
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