Breakdown of De flesta människor tror att drottningen ska efterträda honom på tronen.
tro
to believe
ska
will
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
honom
him
människan
the human
att
that
de flesta
most (countable)
drottningen
the queen
efterträda
to succeed (take someone's position)
tronen
the throne
Questions & Answers about De flesta människor tror att drottningen ska efterträda honom på tronen.
Since this lesson is about formal pronouns, could we use denne instead of honom here?
Yes. In highly formal or literary written Swedish, you might see efterträda denne instead of efterträda honom. Used independently as an object, denne refers back to a previously mentioned male and significantly elevates the text's formality.
How does the verb efterträda (to succeed) break down?
It is a compound of efter (after) and träda (to step or walk). To succeed someone in a role or on the throne is literally to step after them.
Why is ska used instead of kommer att for this future prediction?
While kommer att is standard for predicting future events outside of our control, ska works perfectly here because royal succession is based on an official plan, established rule, or formal arrangement rather than a random guess.
Why is it De flesta människor and not just Flesta människor?
In Swedish, the translation for most is the fixed phrase de flesta. You must keep the definite article de, even though the noun that follows (människor) remains in its indefinite form.
As a refresher, could I use tycker instead of tror to express what the people believe?
No. You must use tror because the sentence expresses a belief about a factual future outcome. tycker is strictly for subjective opinions, such as whether the people think she would make a good ruler.
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