Breakdown of Vem tror du att tolken översatte för?
du
you (singular)
vem
who
tro
to believe
för
for, to
att
that
översätta
to translate
tolken
the interpreter
Questions & Answers about Vem tror du att tolken översatte för?
How does this sentence demonstrate satsfläta (sentence intertwining)?
In this sentence, the question word vem actually belongs to the subordinate clause (as the object of för). Sentence intertwining pulls vem all the way out of that clause and to the front of the main clause (tror du). English does exactly the same thing: Who do you think...
Why is the preposition för dangling at the very end of the sentence?
The preposition för belongs to the question word vem. Because vem was pulled to the front of the sentence, för gets left behind at the end of the subordinate clause. This is called preposition stranding, and it feels very natural to English speakers since we do the exact same thing.
Is it possible to drop the word att in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely. Just as you can drop that in the English translation, you can drop att in Swedish. In everyday speech, you will very often hear Vem tror du tolken översatte för?
Why is the word order tolken översatte instead of översatte tolken since this is a question?
Only the main clause (tror du) takes the inverted question word order with the verb before the subject. The part starting with att is a subordinate clause, which uses standard straight word order (subject before verb), even when it is embedded inside a larger question.
Learn Vem tror du att tolken översatte för and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free