Breakdown of Pengarna är emellertid inte det väsentliga i situationen.
vara
to be
inte
not
i
in
pengarna
the money
det
the (with ett-words)
situationen
the situation
emellertid
however
väsentlig
essential
Questions & Answers about Pengarna är emellertid inte det väsentliga i situationen.
How does the grammar behind det väsentliga work to mean "the essential thing"?
This is a substantivated adjective. By combining the neuter singular definite article det with the definite form of the adjective väsentlig (which adds an -a to become väsentliga), you create an abstract noun meaning "that which is essential" or "the essential thing". This is a very common way in Swedish to express abstract ideas without needing to add a generic noun like saken (the thing).
"Money" is singular in English, but pengarna has a plural ending. Does this affect the sentence?
Yes, pengar is a plural noun in Swedish (en peng refers to a single coin). While the verb är doesn't change form in modern Swedish, you must remember its plural status if you refer back to it later. For example, if you added "they are gone" it would be de är borta, not den är borta.
Why is the adverb emellertid placed between the verb är and the negation inte?
In a main clause, sentence adverbs like emellertid (however) and inte (not) generally follow the finite verb (är). When multiple sentence adverbs appear together, they usually follow a specific order. Connecting adverbs like emellertid, nämligen, or därför typically come before the negation inte.
Is emellertid commonly used in everyday spoken Swedish?
Emellertid is quite formal and is mostly found in written Swedish, news reports, or formal speeches. In everyday conversation, a Swedish speaker would be much more likely to use däremot (on the other hand), fast (though), or simply restructure the sentence using the conjunction men (but).
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