Breakdown of När vi tränar yoga ökar vi såväl flexibiliteten som styrkan.
vi
we
träna
to exercise
när
when
öka
to increase
yogan
the yoga
såväl
both (in 'såväl...som')
flexibiliteten
the flexibility
styrkan
the strength
Questions & Answers about När vi tränar yoga ökar vi såväl flexibiliteten som styrkan.
Why use såväl ... som here instead of både ... och?
Both mean "both ... and", but såväl ... som is more formal and often used in written Swedish, news, or formal speech. It gives the sentence an instructional tone, which fits a factual statement about yoga. Både ... och is the everyday equivalent you would use in casual conversation.
Why does the sentence say ökar vi instead of vi ökar?
This is a classic example of the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire subordinate clause När vi tränar yoga counts as the first block of information in the main sentence. Therefore, the main verb ökar must come right after it in the second position, pushing the subject vi to the third position.
Why are flexibiliteten and styrkan in the definite form when the English translation says "flexibility and strength"?
In Swedish, abstract nouns like flexibility and strength are typically put in the definite form when talking about them as general concepts. You will frequently see this definite form used for general qualities, emotions, and academic concepts.
The verb ökar means "increase" here. Does Swedish use a different verb if something increases on its own?
No, öka works for both! It is used both when someone actively increases something (transitive, like in this sentence) and when something increases on its own (intransitive, like priserna ökar for "prices are increasing").
Learn När vi tränar yoga ökar vi såväl flexibiliteten som styrkan 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