Breakdown of Biologen behöver ett mikroskop. Cellen är nämligen väldigt liten.
vara
to be
ett
a, an (neuter)
behöva
to need
liten
small
Questions & Answers about Biologen behöver ett mikroskop. Cellen är nämligen väldigt liten.
Why is nämligen translated as "you see" instead of "namely"?
While nämligen looks like "namely", in Swedish it frequently functions as "you see", "the thing is", or even "because". It acts as an explanatory adverb that gives the reason for the statement in the previous sentence.
Can I put nämligen at the beginning of the sentence, just like saying "Because..." in English?
No, you cannot start a sentence with nämligen. It is a sentence adverb, which means in a main clause it belongs in the middle of the sentence, directly after the finite verb. Here, it must go immediately after är.
Could I just use därför att (because) instead of making two separate sentences?
Yes, you could say Biologen behöver ett mikroskop därför att cellen är väldigt liten. However, using two separate main clauses and inserting nämligen into the second one is a very natural, idiomatic way to explain a reason in Swedish without using a subordinating conjunction.
Why is it liten and not litet here, when the first sentence talks about ett mikroskop?
The adjective liten is describing Cellen, which is an en-word. If it were describing the microscope (an ett-word), it would indeed need the ett-word form litet.