Breakdown of Bilden blir oskarp såvida stativet inte används.
inte
not
bilden
the picture
bli
to become
använda
to use
såvida
unless (used with inte)
stativet
the tripod
oskarp
unsharp
Questions & Answers about Bilden blir oskarp såvida stativet inte används.
Why are the words såvida and inte separated by stativet?
Såvida means 'provided that' or 'if', and together with inte it creates the meaning 'unless'. Because såvida starts a subordinate clause, Swedish word order rules dictate that the sentence adverb inte must come before the verb. Therefore, inte is placed directly between the subject stativet and the verb används.
Can I use om ... inte instead of såvida ... inte?
Yes, saying om stativet inte används is perfectly interchangeable here and is actually much more common in everyday spoken Swedish. Såvida ... inte carries the exact same meaning but sounds slightly more formal, making it common in written texts and technical instructions.
Why does the sentence use blir instead of är?
Blir translates to 'becomes' or 'gets', which describes a resulting change in state. Using är (is) would just describe a static fact, whereas blir emphasizes the consequence: the picture will get out of focus as a direct result of not using a tripod.
What verb form is används?
It is the s-passive form of the present tense verb använder (uses). By dropping the active ending and adding an -s, the focus shifts from whoever is holding the camera to the action being performed on the tripod. This changes the meaning from 'uses' to 'is used'.
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