Breakdown of Det finns en arvinge som bör ha läst testamentet.
en
a, an (common)
läsa
to read
ha
to have
det finns
there is, there are
som
who / which / that (relative pronoun)
böra
should, ought to
testamentet
the will (legal document)
arvingen
the heir
Questions & Answers about Det finns en arvinge som bör ha läst testamentet.
Does bör ha läst express a guess about what happened, or an obligation?
It can actually be both! In this lesson's context of deduction, it means "probably has read" (an educated guess). However, it can also mean "was supposed to read" (an obligation). You have to rely on the surrounding context to know if the speaker is making a confident guess or talking about a duty.
How does the certainty change if we swap bör ha for måste ha or kan ha?
It changes how confident the speaker is about their deduction. Kan ha läst is just a possibility ("might have read"). Bör ha läst is a strong probability ("ought to have read" or "should have read"). Måste ha läst means the speaker is almost 100% certain ("must have read").
Why does testamentet just end in -t instead of the usual -et for neuter words?
The indefinite form is ett testamente (a will). Because the base word already ends in a vowel, you only add a -t to make it definite, rather than adding a whole extra syllable with -et.
How do you make en arvinge plural?
It becomes arvingar. En-words that end in -e generally drop that final -e and add -ar to form the plural (just like en pojke becomes pojkar).
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