Breakdown of Om vi borrade genom berggrunden, skulle vi hitta kristallen.
vi
we
hitta
to find
om
if, whether
skulle
would
borra
to drill
genom
through
kristallen
the crystal
berggrunden
the bedrock
Questions & Answers about Om vi borrade genom berggrunden, skulle vi hitta kristallen.
Why is borrade in the past tense if this refers to a theoretical future or present action?
In Swedish, just like in English, the past tense is used to express a hypothetical or unreal condition. Om vi borrade translates directly to 'If we drilled'. The consequence clause then uses skulle plus the infinitive hitta to mean 'would find'.
Why does the second part of the sentence start with skulle vi instead of vi skulle?
This is a classic example of the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire conditional clause (Om vi borrade genom berggrunden) counts as the first position in the overall sentence. To keep the main finite verb in the second position, skulle must come immediately after the comma, pushing the subject vi to the third position.
How is the word berggrunden put together?
It is a compound noun made of berg (mountain or rock) and grund (ground or foundation), followed by the en-word definite suffix -en. Together, berggrund means 'bedrock', and here it is in the definite form, 'the bedrock'.
Could we use igenom instead of genom in this sentence?
While you might occasionally hear it, genom is the standard preposition to use directly before a noun, as in genom berggrunden. Igenom is generally preferred when it acts as a verb particle without a following noun, for example if you said vi borrade oss igenom meaning 'we drilled our way through'.
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