Breakdown of Du borde vila med fötterna på bordet.
du
you (singular)
bordet
the table
vila
to rest
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
med
with
foten
the foot
böra
should, ought to
Questions & Answers about Du borde vila med fötterna på bordet.
Why does the Swedish sentence say med fötterna (with the feet) instead of using a possessive pronoun like med dina fötter?
In Swedish, it is standard to use the definite article for body parts or clothing when it is obvious who they belong to. In descriptive phrases using med to show posture, using the definite form like fötterna is the most natural way to express "your feet".
The lesson mentions this is an absolute construction. What makes med fötterna på bordet an absolute construction?
An absolute construction is an independent phrase that adds descriptive background information to the whole sentence. Here, med links the noun phrase fötterna with the locative expression på bordet to describe the simultaneous physical posture of the subject while they rest.
Why is borde used for "should" in this sentence instead of ska?
Borde expresses a recommendation, friendly advice, or what is a good idea, which perfectly fits "ought to" or "should". If you used ska, it would sound much stronger, like a strict command ("you must") or a firm future plan ("you will").
Fötterna involves a vowel change. What are the singular and indefinite forms of this noun?
This is an irregular noun that undergoes a vowel change in the plural. The singular is en fot (a foot), making the definite singular foten. The indefinite plural is fötter (feet), which gives us the definite plural fötterna (the feet) seen in this sentence.
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