Breakdown of Livrädda som de var, gick de in i hissen.
vara
to be
de
they
i
in
gå
to go, to walk
in
in, into (motion)
hissen
the elevator
som
as (in comparisons)
livrädd
terrified
Questions & Answers about Livrädda som de var, gick de in i hissen.
What is the function of putting Livrädda som at the beginning of the sentence?
This is a fronted predicative clause, which is the focus of this lesson. By putting the adjective Livrädda first and following it with som, it creates a concessive or causal meaning, translating roughly to 'Terrified as they were...' or 'Despite being terrified...'. It strongly emphasizes their state of mind in relation to their action.
Why does livrädda end in an -a here?
Adjectives must agree with the noun or pronoun they describe, even when they are moved to the front of the sentence. Since the subject here is the plural pronoun de (they), the adjective takes the plural -a ending. If it were just one person, it would be singular: Livrädd som han var.
Why is the word order gick de instead of de gick in the main clause?
Why does the sentence use in i hissen rather than just i hissen?
Swedish often uses directional double prepositions like in i to mean 'into'. It emphasizes the movement from the outside to the inside. If you simply said de gick i hissen, it would imply they were already inside the elevator and walking around inside of it.
How is the word livrädda formed?
It is a compound of liv (life) and rädda (scared/afraid). Attaching liv- as a prefix to an adjective is a common way in Swedish to amplify its meaning to an extreme degree, essentially meaning you are scared for your life.
Learn Livrädda som de var, gick de in i hissen and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free