Breakdown of En virtuell värld är inte farlig i sig.
vara
to be
en
a, an (common)
inte
not
i
in
sig
oneself / himself / herself / themselves
farlig
dangerous
världen
the world
virtuell
virtual
Questions & Answers about En virtuell värld är inte farlig i sig.
Why do we use i sig here instead of i den for an inanimate object?
In Swedish, the reflexive pronoun sig isn't just for people. It is also used for things whenever it refers back to the third-person subject of the clause. Since the subject here is en virtuell värld, expressing the concept of in itself requires i sig.
If we made the subject plural (virtual worlds), would i sig change?
No, it stays exactly the same! The pronoun sig is used for both singular and plural third-person subjects. If the sentence were about plural worlds, it would be Virtuella världar är inte farliga i sig, which translates to in themselves.
Could I place i sig earlier in the sentence?
Yes, you can treat it somewhat like a sentence adverb. Saying En virtuell värld är i sig inte farlig works and sounds a bit more formal, but putting it at the very end of the clause, as done here, is the most natural everyday choice.
Why is the adjective farlig and not farligt?
Predicate adjectives (adjectives that come after a verb like är) must agree with the noun they describe. Because värld is an en-word, farlig takes the base common-gender form. If the subject were an ett-word, you would use farligt.
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