Breakdown of Man kan inte byta objektivet såvida man inte stänger av kameran.
inte
not
kunna
to be able to, can
kameran
the camera
man
one, you (people in general)
byta
to change
stänga av
to turn off
såvida
unless (used with inte)
objektivet
the lens
Questions & Answers about Man kan inte byta objektivet såvida man inte stänger av kameran.
Why is there a second inte in the phrase såvida man inte?
The conjunction såvida on its own means provided that or if. To say unless, Swedish uses såvida inte (provided that not). Even though English just says unless one turns off the camera, Swedish requires the negative word to complete the condition.
Why does inte come before the verb stänger in this sentence?
The phrase starting with såvida is a subordinate clause. In Swedish subordinate clauses, adverbs like inte must come before the conjugated verb. This is often taught as the BIFF rule: Bistats Inte Före Finita verbet (Subordinate clause Inte Before Finite verb).
Is it possible to separate the phrasal verb and say stänger kameran av instead?
No, that is a direct translation from English that does not work in Swedish. In Swedish phrasal verbs, the verb and its stressed particle (here, av) must stay together. You cannot put the object between them, so it must be stänger av kameran.
What gender is the noun objektivet?
It is an ett-word: ett objektiv, which becomes objektivet in the definite form. Be careful not to confuse this noun with the adjective objektiv (objective or unbiased), which looks exactly the same in its base form.
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