Breakdown of Yogan bygger upp såväl kroppslig styrka som mental närvaro.
bygga upp
to build up
närvaron
the presence
yogan
the yoga
såväl
both (formal, in "both … and")
Questions & Answers about Yogan bygger upp såväl kroppslig styrka som mental närvaro.
Why use såväl ... som here instead of the more common både ... och?
While both expressions mean "both ... and", såväl ... som is more formal and stylistic. It often translates well to "as well as". You will see it frequently in written Swedish, news, and informative texts (like this sentence about the benefits of yoga), whereas både ... och is the standard for everyday conversation.
Why is it yogan (the yoga) with a definite ending, when the English translation just says "Yoga"?
When talking about general concepts, activities, or abstract ideas as a whole, Swedish typically uses the definite form. Where English says "Yoga is good", Swedish says Yogan är bra. You will see this with other uncountable concepts too, like naturen (nature) or kärleken (love).
Is bygger upp a phrasal verb, and can I split it by putting the object in the middle?
It is a phrasal verb (partikelverb), meaning the spoken emphasis lands strongly on the particle upp. Unlike English, where you can say "builds physical strength up", Swedish generally keeps the verb and particle together. The object must come after the full phrasal verb: bygger upp styrka.
What is the literal breakdown of the word närvaro (presence)?
It is built from när (near) and varo (a noun form related to the verb vara, meaning "being" or "existence"). It literally translates to "near-being". As a handy bonus, its exact opposite is frånvaro (absence), meaning "from-being".