Breakdown of Går det att hissa upp behållaren, eller är den för tung?
vara
to be
den
it (common)
tung
heavy
eller
or
för
too
det går att
it is possible to
hissa upp
to hoist up
behållaren
the container
Questions & Answers about Går det att hissa upp behållaren, eller är den för tung?
How does the det går att construction change when asking a question here?
You simply invert the verb and the subject. Det går att (It is possible to) becomes Går det att (Is it possible to). The infinitive marker att and the bare infinitive hissa follow right after.
Can I separate the verb and the particle, saying hissa behållaren upp like in English?
No, that sounds unnatural in Swedish. In particle verbs like hissa upp, the particle usually has to stay right next to the verb when the object is a standard noun. You must say hissa upp behållaren.
The sentence starts with det, so why does the second half use den (är den för tung)?
These two pronouns are doing different jobs. The det in Går det att is an impersonal dummy pronoun, like the 'it' in the English phrase 'is it possible'. However, den refers specifically to the noun behållaren. Since behållare is an en-word, it requires the pronoun den.
Is the word behållare related to the verb att hålla?
Yes! It comes from the verb behålla, which means 'to keep' or 'to retain' (built from be- + hålla). By adding the -are suffix, which turns verbs into nouns doing the action, you get behållare—literally a 'keeper', or a container.
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