Breakdown of Myndigheten försökte förhindra problemet. Däremot misslyckades den.
den
it (common)
försöka
to try
problemet
the problem
däremot
on the other hand
misslyckas
to fail
myndigheten
the authority
förhindra
to prevent
Questions & Answers about Myndigheten försökte förhindra problemet. Däremot misslyckades den.
What is the difference between hindra and förhindra in this sentence?
The base verb hindra means to hinder, obstruct, or stop someone from doing something. Adding the inseparable prefix för- changes the meaning to prevent. While you hindra something that is currently in progress, you förhindra it from happening in the first place.
Why does misslyckades end in an -s? Is it a passive verb?
No, it is not passive. The verb misslyckas (to fail) is a deponent verb, meaning it always takes the passive -s ending but carries a fully active meaning. The past tense form is misslyckades.
Why does the second sentence use den for it instead of det?
The pronoun den refers back to Myndigheten (the authority). Because myndighet is an en-word, you must use den to mean it. You would only use det to refer back to an ett-word, like problemet.
Could we put däremot at the end of the sentence, like we often do with however in English?
Not in Swedish. The adverb däremot usually comes at the beginning of the clause (as it does here) or directly after the verb (as in Den misslyckades däremot). Placing it at the very end of the sentence sounds unnatural in Swedish.
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