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Den skräckinjagande tunneln såg ut som om den vore vattenfylld.

Den skräckinjagande tunneln såg ut som om den vore vattenfylld.
The terrifying tunnel looked as if it were water-filled.
From Lesson 338:Compound adjectives (snötäckt, hembakad)·Swedish

Questions & Answers about Den skräckinjagande tunneln såg ut som om den vore vattenfylld.

How is the compound adjective skräckinjagande constructed?
It combines the noun skräck (terror or fear) with injagande, the present participle of the verb injaga (to instill or strike). Literally, it translates to 'fear-instilling'.
Why doesn't skräckinjagande take an -a ending to match the definite phrase Den ... tunneln?
Because it ends in a present participle. In Swedish, present participles used as adjectives always end in -ande or -ende and never change their form, regardless of whether the noun is definite, plural, or an ett-word.
Would the other compound adjective, vattenfylld, change if it were describing a plural noun?
Yes. Unlike present participles, compound adjectives ending in a past participle (like fylld) must agree with the noun they describe. Because tunneln is a singular en-word, it takes the base form vattenfylld. For an ett-word it would be vattenfyllt, and for plural nouns it would be vattenfyllda.
Why is the word vore used here instead of var?
Vore is the past subjunctive form of vara (to be), used for hypothetical or unreal situations. This matches the English use of 'were' in the phrase 'as if it were'. While you will often hear Swedes use var in everyday speech, vore is the preferred choice in formal or written Swedish after som om.

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