Breakdown of Nu gäller det att njuta av ålderdomen i husbilen.
det
it (neuter)
nu
now
i
in
att
to
njuta av
to enjoy
gälla
to be valid, to apply
ålderdomen
the old age
husbilen
the motorhome
Questions & Answers about Nu gäller det att njuta av ålderdomen i husbilen.
Why does the sentence use gäller det att here?
The phrase det gäller att is a very common idiom meaning "it is a matter of," "it is important to," or "the key is to." While the verb gälla literally means "to be valid" or "to apply," this fixed expression is the natural Swedish way to state that something is a necessary priority.
Why is it gäller det instead of det gäller?
Since English often says "enjoy oneself", can I use a reflexive pronoun here and say njuta sig?
No, njuta is never a reflexive verb in Swedish. While you are currently learning about reflexive pronouns, you cannot attach one to njuta. To express "enjoying oneself," you would either use njuta on its own, or use a truly reflexive verb like roa sig (to amuse oneself) or the phrase ha roligt (to have fun).
Why is there an av after njuta? Doesn't njuta already mean "enjoy"?
In Swedish, when you state exactly what it is you are enjoying, the verb njuta strongly prefers being paired with the preposition av. You can't just say njuta ålderdomen; it has to be njuta av ålderdomen (literally "enjoy of the old age").
Why is ålderdomen in the definite form when the English translation just says "old age"?
In Swedish, uncountable and abstract nouns—like old age, life, nature, or society—are typically used in the definite form when you are talking about them in a broad, general sense. Therefore, the general concept of "old age" becomes the definite ålderdomen.
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