Breakdown of Träden, från vilka lätet kommer, döljer boet.
komma
to come
från
from
trädet
the tree
vilka
which (plural)
dölja
to hide (conceal, e.g., feelings or truth)
boet
the nest
lätet
the call (of an animal)
Questions & Answers about Träden, från vilka lätet kommer, döljer boet.
Why use från vilka here instead of just using som?
In formal written Swedish, you can place a preposition before a relative pronoun, just like saying "from which" in English. However, you cannot put a preposition directly before som. Instead, you must use a form of vilken (vilken, vilket, or vilka). Because träden (the trees) is plural, we use the plural form vilka.
If I wanted to say this more casually using som, how would the sentence change?
To make this sentence sound more natural for everyday speech or informal writing, you would replace vilka with som and move the preposition från to the end of the relative clause. It would become: Träden som lätet kommer från döljer boet.
What exactly is a läte and why didn't they just use ljud?
While ljud means "sound" in a very general sense, ett läte specifically refers to a sound or call made by an animal (such as a bird, frog, or mammal). Because the sentence also mentions a nest (boet), lätet is the most precise and natural word to describe the animal call coming from the trees.
What is the base form of boet, and why does it look a bit unusual?
The root word is ett bo (a nest). Neuter nouns (ett-words) that end in a vowel can look a bit strange when conjugated, but they follow a regular pattern by just adding -et for the definite singular, making it boet. As a quick refresher, its plural forms are bon (nests) and bona (the nests).
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