Breakdown of Figuren skulle vara fin om hon inte hade rivit pappersarket.
vara
to be
hon
she
fin
nice
inte
not
ha
to have
om
if, whether
skulle
would
riva
to tear
pappersarket
the paper sheet
figuren
the figure (shape, character)
Questions & Answers about Figuren skulle vara fin om hon inte hade rivit pappersarket.
Why do we use skulle vara (present) in the first part but hade rivit (past perfect) in the second part?
This is a mixed unreal conditional. The condition happened in the past (hade rivit, meaning she tore the paper previously), but the result is about the present state (skulle vara, meaning the figure would be nice right now).
Why is inte placed before hade in the second half of the sentence?
The word om starts a subordinate clause. In Swedish subordinate clauses, sentence adverbs like inte must come before the first conjugated verb. This is a good reminder of the BIFF rule (Bisats, Inte Före Finita verbet).
What is the infinitive form of rivit?
The infinitive is att riva (to tear). It is an irregular strong verb, and its principal parts are riva, river, rev, and the supine form seen here, rivit.
How is the compound word pappersarket constructed?
It is a compound of papper (paper) and ark (sheet), joined by the connecting letter -s-. The -et at the end makes it definite (the sheet of paper) because ark is an ett-word.
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