Breakdown of Jag törs argumentera med chefen trots att jag är nervös.
jag
I
vara
to be
chefen
the boss
med
with
nervös
nervous
trots att
although, in spite of the fact that
törs
to dare
argumentera
to argue (reason, debate)
Questions & Answers about Jag törs argumentera med chefen trots att jag är nervös.
Why is there no att before argumentera, even though the English translation says "dare to argue"?
Törs acts as a semi-modal verb here. Just like standard modal verbs such as kan or vill, it is followed directly by the bare infinitive of the next verb, without using att.
Törs ends in an -s. Does that mean it is a passive verb in this sentence?
No, it has an active meaning. Törs is a deponent verb, which means it always ends in -s but is never passive in meaning. Other common deponent verbs you might know are hoppas (hope) and minns (remember).
Why do we use trots att here instead of just trots?
Trots is a preposition meaning "despite", so it must be followed by a noun phrase, like trots min nervositet (despite my nervousness). Because we are following it with a full clause containing a subject and a verb (jag är nervös), we have to use the conjunction trots att (even though).
Could I say argumentera mot instead of argumentera med?
You could, but it changes the nuance. Argumentera med emphasizes the back-and-forth interaction of arguing with someone, while argumentera mot means you are arguing against someone or specifically opposing their viewpoint.
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