Breakdown of När inspektören tittar, så blir du nervös.
du
you (singular)
när
when
så
so
bli
to become
nervös
nervous
titta
to look (direct your eyes)
inspektören
the inspector
Questions & Answers about När inspektören tittar, så blir du nervös.
What exactly is the word så doing in the middle of this sentence?
It acts as a resumptive adverb. When a Swedish sentence starts with a subordinate clause (like När inspektören tittar), we often insert så to link it to the main clause. It functions a bit like saying 'then' in English, though it doesn't translate directly here. It is completely optional but very common in everyday Swedish to make the transition between clauses smoother.
If I remove så, does the word order in the second half change?
No, the word order remains exactly the same: När inspektören tittar, blir du nervös. Because Swedish is a V2 (verb-second) language, the entire initial 'when' clause counts as the first position. The verb blir must come directly after it as the second element, regardless of whether you include the bridging word så or not.
Why is the verb blir used here instead of får for 'get nervous'?
In English, 'get' is a highly flexible word used for receiving things, understanding things, and changing states. In Swedish, you must use blir (which literally means 'becomes') when describing a change of state or emotion, such as getting nervous, getting angry, or getting older. You would only use får when receiving, obtaining, or being allowed to do something.
Why is 'is looking' translated simply as tittar rather than a continuous form?
Swedish does not have a dedicated present continuous tense like the English 'is looking'. The standard present tense verb tittar covers both 'looks' and 'is looking'. While Swedish has specific phrasing to emphasize ongoing actions if absolutely necessary, the standard present tense is almost always the most natural choice for this.
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