Question 1

Is då being used as a time word here, like "when" or "then"?

Accepted Answer

No, here it is used as a causal conjunction meaning "since" or "because". While you probably first learned då as a time word, at this level you will often see it used to explain why something happens. You can easily test this by replacing it with eftersom (because/since) - if the sentence still makes sense, då is being used for causality.

Question 2

Why does the second part of the sentence say stannar de flesta instead of de flesta stannar?

Accepted Answer

This happens because of the Swedish V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire first part of the sentence (Då sikten är noll i dimman) is a subordinate clause that takes up the first position. To keep the main verb in the second position, stannar must come immediately after the comma, before its subject (de flesta sjöfarare).

Question 3

Why is sjöfarare in the indefinite plural form when it follows de flesta?

Accepted Answer

Even though de flesta looks like a definite construction (using de), it translates simply to "most" and requires the following noun to be in the indefinite plural. So "most seafarers" is de flesta sjöfarare, never de flesta sjöfararna.

Question 4

Why does the sentence use hemma instead of just hem?

Accepted Answer

Hemma is the static form used for location (being at a place), which perfectly matches the verb stannar (stay). You would only use hem if there were a movement or destination involved, such as if the seafarers were traveling home (åker hem).

Då sikten är noll i dimman, stannar de flesta sjöfarare hemma.

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