Breakdown of Att hyresgästen på bottenvåningen ständigt väsnas!
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
att
that
väsnas
to make noise
hyresgästen
the tenant
Questions & Answers about Att hyresgästen på bottenvåningen ständigt väsnas!
Why does this sentence start with Att and just end without a main clause?
This is an independent exclamatory att-clause. In Swedish, you can use a subordinate clause starting with att all by itself to express strong emotion like frustration, indignation, or surprise. It implies a dropped main clause like 'I can't believe that' or 'It is so annoying that'.
Why is the adverb ständigt placed before the verb väsnas?
Because this exclamation is grammatically a subordinate clause (introduced by att), it requires subordinate word order. This follows the BIFF-rule, which states that in a subordinate clause, sentence adverbs like ständigt (constantly) must be placed before the conjugated verb.
The verb väsnas ends in an -s. Is this a passive verb?
No, väsnas is a deponent verb. That means it looks passive because of the -s ending, but it has a completely active meaning (to make noise, to be noisy). You have likely seen this before with earlier verbs like hoppas (to hope) or lyckas (to succeed).
Why do we use the preposition på in på bottenvåningen?
Just like in English, Swedish uses the preposition på (on) when talking about floors or levels of a building. You will always see it as på bottenvåningen (on the ground floor), på första våningen (on the first floor), and so on.