Breakdown of Vi ritar släktträdet, från vars rötter vi själva härstammar.
vi
we
från
from
själva
ourselves / yourselves / themselves (emphatic)
roten
the root
rita
to design / to draw
vars
whose
härstamma
to descend
släktträdet
the family tree
Questions & Answers about Vi ritar släktträdet, från vars rötter vi själva härstammar.
Why is från placed before vars rötter instead of at the end of the sentence?
Placing the preposition before vars is characteristic of formal, written Swedish, mirroring the English 'from whose roots'. In everyday spoken Swedish, it is much more common to put the preposition at the end of the relative clause: vars rötter vi själva härstammar från.
Doesn't the verb usually come second? Why is it vi själva härstammar instead of härstammar vi själva?
The phrase från vars rötter starts a relative clause, which is a type of subordinate clause. In subordinate clauses, the subject (vi själva) must always come before the verb (härstammar).
Why do we use själva instead of själv?
The word for 'oneself' behaves like an adjective and must agree with the noun or pronoun it modifies. Because it refers back to the plural pronoun vi (we), it takes the plural ending -a, becoming vi själva.
Is there a linguistic connection between the verb härstammar and trees?
Yes! The noun en stam means a tree trunk or a tribe. The verb härstamma (to descend or originate) literally paints the picture of branching off from a common trunk, which makes it the perfect verb to use alongside släktträdet (the family tree) and rötter (roots).
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