Breakdown of Gestaltningen fungerade inte, och det gjorde inte slutet heller.
det
it (neuter)
och
and
inte
not
göra
to do, to make
Questions & Answers about Gestaltningen fungerade inte, och det gjorde inte slutet heller.
What exactly does det refer to in the second half of this sentence?
It acts as a 'pro-predicative,' meaning it is a stand-in word that replaces a previously mentioned action or state. Here, det refers back to the verb fungerade (worked). By using det, the speaker avoids repeating the verb.
Why is the word order det gjorde inte slutet heller rather than keeping the subject slutet first?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action. The conjunction och connects the two independent clauses, and in the second clause, the stand-in word det takes the first position. The substitute verb gjorde must come second, which pushes the subject slutet (the ending) to a later position.
Why do we need the verb gjorde here?
When you replace a main action with det, Swedish requires a substitute verb to keep the clause grammatically complete. Just like English uses 'did' in 'the ending did not either,' Swedish uses gjorde to carry the tense, effectively meaning 'did so'.
Could I use också instead of heller to mean 'either' or 'too'?