Learn Swedish: Rädd som han var, stannade han i rummet och övervann problemet. - Afraid as he was, he stayed in the room and overcame the problem.

This structure (Adjective + som + subject + a form of vara) creates a special dependent clause. By fronting the adjective rädd, it places heavy emphasis on his fear. This pattern is taught in this lesson to express a contrast or a reason, much like saying 'Afraid as he was' or 'Tired as I am' in English.

Could Rädd som han var also mean 'Because he was afraid'?

Yes! Depending on the second half of the sentence, this exact structure can be either concessive ('Even though he was...') or causal ('Because he was...'). Since he stayed and overcame the problem, logic tells us this is a contrast. If the sentence instead ended with him running away, the clause would be acting as the cause.

Why is the word order stannade han instead of han stannade?

This is a great example of the Swedish V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire introductory clause (Rädd som han var) occupies the first position in the main sentence. To keep the main verb in the second position, stannade must immediately follow the comma, flipping places with the subject han.

What kind of verb is övervann?