Breakdown of Översättningen är tyvärr dålig, och redaktören medger det nu.
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
och
and
nu
now
dålig
bad
tyvärr
unfortunately
redaktören
the editor
medge
to admit
översättningen
the translation
Questions & Answers about Översättningen är tyvärr dålig, och redaktören medger det nu.
Why do we use det after medger here?
In this sentence, det acts as a placeholder that replaces an entire clause. Instead of repeating the whole idea by saying redaktören medger att översättningen är dålig (the editor admits that the translation is bad), we use det to refer back to that entire fact. This is very common in Swedish with verbs of thinking, knowing, and communicating.
How is the verb medger formed?
Medger means admits or concedes. It is built from med (with) and ger (gives). Like many Swedish compound verbs, it conjugates exactly like its root verb. Because the present tense of to give is ger, the present tense of to admit is medger. Its past tense would be medgav.
Why is the adverb tyvärr placed after the verb är?
Tyvärr (unfortunately) is a sentence adverb. In a normal main clause like Översättningen är tyvärr dålig, the V2 (verb-second) rule dictates the order. The subject is first, the verb is second, and the sentence adverb usually comes right after the verb.
Why does nu go at the very end of the sentence?
In Swedish, time adverbs like nu (now) usually go at the end of the clause. The standard word order requires the object (here, the pronoun det) to come before expressions of time.
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