Questions & Answers about Det kom en duns från vinden i natt.
Why do we use Det kom en duns instead of just saying En duns kom?
In Swedish, when introducing a new, indefinite subject (like a sound or an event) using a verb of occurrence, appearance, or motion, you typically use the presentational det. It acts as a dummy subject that pushes the real subject (en duns) after the verb. Saying En duns kom sounds highly unnatural.
The word vinden usually means the wind. Does it mean the sound came from the weather outside?
Not in this context! The noun en vind has two distinct meanings in Swedish: wind (weather) and an attic. Given that a thud came from it (från vinden), it clearly means the attic here.
Does i natt mean tonight or last night?
It can mean both, depending entirely on the tense of the verb! Because the verb here is in the past tense (kom), i natt refers to the past and means last night. If the sentence used a present or future tense (like Det kommer i natt), it would mean tonight.
Is it common to use kom for sounds like a thud?
Yes. In English, we might simply say there was a thud, but in Swedish, sounds and noises are often paired with verbs of motion or emergence like kom (came) or hördes (was heard). Det kom en duns paints a picture of the sound traveling from the attic to the listener.