Breakdown of Det gäller att läsa vd:ns pm i förväg.
läsa
to read
i förväg
in advance
vd:n
the CEO
det gäller att
to be crucial, to matter
pm:et
the memo
Questions & Answers about Det gäller att läsa vd:ns pm i förväg.
Why is there a colon in vd:ns, and what do the letters after it mean?
The abbreviation vd stands for verkställande direktör (CEO). When a Swedish abbreviation is an initialism, you use a colon to attach grammatical endings. Here, the -n makes it definite ("the CEO") and the -s makes it possessive ("the CEO's").
Why doesn't the abbreviation pm have a colon and an ending like vd:ns does?
In Swedish, a noun that follows a possessive word (like vd:ns) must be in its bare, indefinite form. Therefore, pm (memo) takes no suffixes here. If you wanted to say "the memo" on its own, you would add a colon and the definite suffix: pm:et.
Is pm an en-word or an ett-word, and how does that affect its endings?
It is an ett-word (ett pm). This is important when it isn't following a possessive. Because it's an ett-word, its indefinite plural remains just pm ("memos"), but if you need the definite plural ("the memos"), you add a colon and the plural suffix: pm:en.
What exactly does det gäller att mean here? Doesn't gäller usually mean "applies" or "is valid"?
While gäller often means "applies", the fixed phrase det gäller att translates to "it is crucial to", "it is a matter of", or "one must". It is a very common way to express that an action is necessary for success.
Learn Det gäller att läsa vd:ns pm i förväg and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free