Breakdown of I skuggan vilar det ett farligt lejon och en trött tiger.
ett
a, an (neuter)
en
a, an (common)
och
and
trött
tired
Questions & Answers about I skuggan vilar det ett farligt lejon och en trött tiger.
Why is the word det used here when there is no 'it' in the English translation?
This sentence uses a presentation construction to introduce new information. Because the real subject is very long (ett farligt lejon och en trött tiger), Swedish uses the End-Weight Principle to push this heavy information to the end of the sentence. The word det steps in as a formal placeholder subject right after the verb so the sentence still follows the rules of Swedish word order.
Could I drop det and just write 'I skuggan vilar ett farligt lejon och en trött tiger'?
Yes, that is grammatically correct. However, Swedish strongly prefers the End-Weight Principle when introducing new, heavy subjects. Using det to delay the long subject makes the sentence flow much better and sounds like you are setting a scene in a story.
Why doesn't the verb vilar change to a plural form since there are two animals?
As a quick reminder of earlier lessons, Swedish verbs do not change form to match the number or person of the subject. Even though a lion and a tiger make a plural subject, the present tense verb remains vilar.
Why does farligt end with a T while trött does not?