Breakdown of När glaset stelnar för snabbt kan det spricka, hur noggrann man än är.
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
snabb
fast
hur
how
kunna
to be able to, can
glaset
the glass
när
when
man
one, you (people in general)
för
too
noggrann
meticulous
än
ever (concessive particle)
stelna
to solidify
spricka
to crack
Questions & Answers about När glaset stelnar för snabbt kan det spricka, hur noggrann man än är.
How does the hur ... än structure work in this sentence to mean "no matter how"?
The construction hur + adjective or adverb + än is used to say "however" or "no matter how". In this sentence, the pattern is hur + the adjective noggrann + the subject man + the adverb än + the verb är. It creates a concessive clause, showing that the glass cracking happens regardless of the careful effort put in.
Why is the word order kan det spricka instead of det kan spricka?
This is the Swedish V2 (verb-second) rule in action. The entire first clause, När glaset stelnar för snabbt, counts as the first block of information. Because the main clause must have its verb in the second position, the verb kan comes immediately after the comma, pushing the subject det to the other side of the verb.
Could I use försiktig instead of noggrann here for the word "careful"?
You could, but it changes the nuance. Försiktig means cautious or careful about avoiding danger. Noggrann, which is used here, means meticulous, thorough, or precise. It highlights that no matter how precisely you control the temperature or the process, the glass might still crack.
Why does the word än come before the verb är in the final clause?
Because hur noggrann man än är is a subordinate clause. In Swedish subordinate clauses, sentence adverbs like än must be placed before the finite verb. You might remember this from earlier lessons as the BIFF rule (which applies to all sentence adverbs, not just inte).
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