Breakdown of Mannen bakom myteriets vapen är från Spanien.
vara
to be
mannen
the man
från
from
bakom
behind
Spanien
Spain
vapnet
the weapon
myteriet
the mutiny
Questions & Answers about Mannen bakom myteriets vapen är från Spanien.
Why is the -s attached to myteriets if the weapon belongs to the man, not the mutiny?
This is the phrasal genitive. In Swedish, when a whole phrase describes the possessor (here, mannen bakom myteriet), the genitive -s attaches to the very last word of that phrase. So it acts as [the man behind the mutiny]'s weapon.
Why is the word vapen in the indefinite form here?
In Swedish, a noun that directly follows a genitive -s must be in the indefinite form, even though a specific weapon is meant. Because it follows a possessive phrase, we use vapen rather than the definite vapnet.
What is the base form of the word myteriets?
The base word is ett myteri (a mutiny). Because it is an ett-word ending in a vowel, it takes -et in the definite form to become myteriet. The final -s is simply the possessive ending attached to that definite phrase.
Can bakom be used figuratively like this in other contexts?
Yes, exactly like in English, bakom can mean physically behind something, but it is also used figuratively to describe the person who organized or is responsible for an event (the person behind it).
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