Word
Vi vill bli självförsörjande i ekobyn, så alla är med och odlar.
Meaning
We want to become self-sufficient in the eco-village, so everyone takes part in farming.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Vi vill bli självförsörjande i ekobyn, så alla är med och odlar.
What exactly does är med och odlar mean here, and how does this structure work?
This is a participative pseudo-coordination. Literally, it translates to "is with and farms." We use vara med och followed by another verb to mean "take part in doing something" or "help do something." Here, it means that everyone takes part in farming.
Why does it say odlar (present tense) instead of the infinitive odla?
In Swedish pseudo-coordinations connected by och, both verbs must be in the same tense. Since the first verb (är) is in the present tense, the second verb must also be in the present tense (odlar). You cannot use the infinitive here, even though it translates to "takes part in farming" in English.
Since vi (we) is plural, why doesn't the adjective självförsörjande get a plural -a ending?
Självförsörjande is a present participle (formed from the verb försörja). Present participles end in -ande or -ende and often act as adjectives, but they are invariable. This means they never change their endings to match gender or number, so it stays exactly the same whether you are talking about one person or a whole village.
How is the word självförsörjande constructed?