Breakdown of Hon var med och skrev artikeln, och därigenom kan hon försvara argumentet.
vara
to be
hon
she
och
and
skriva
to write
kunna
to be able to, can
med
with
artikeln
the article
försvara
to defend
argumentet
the argument (reason, point)
därigenom
thereby (by that means)
Questions & Answers about Hon var med och skrev artikeln, och därigenom kan hon försvara argumentet.
What exactly does därigenom replace in this sentence?
It replaces the phrase genom det (through that / by means of that). In formal and academic Swedish, it is very common to combine där with a preposition to replace the preposition plus a pronoun. Here, it means that 'through' her previous involvement in writing the article, she can now defend the argument.
Why is the word order kan hon instead of hon kan after därigenom?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action. The conjunction och joins two main clauses. In the second clause, the adverb därigenom takes the first position. Because Swedish requires the verb to be the second element in a main clause, the verb kan must immediately follow därigenom, pushing the subject hon to the third position.
The English translation says 'participated in writing', but the Swedish says var med och skrev. Is this a fixed expression?
Yes! While you could use a formal verb like deltog i att skriva (participated in writing), Swedish heavily relies on the construction vara med och (literally 'to be with and') plus another verb to express taking part in an activity. It sounds very natural and is widely used across both everyday and professional contexts.
Why does the tense switch from past (var med och skrev) to present (kan)?
The tense shift simply matches the cause-and-effect timeline. Her participation in writing the article is a completed action in the past (var, skrev). Because of that completed action, she currently has the ability (kan) to defend the argument in the present.
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