Word
Den som förråder eden dör, vem han än må vara.
Meaning
Whoever betrays the oath dies, whoever he may be.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Den som förråder eden dör, vem han än må vara.
Why does the sentence start with Den som instead of Vem som for 'Whoever'?
In Swedish, den som literally means 'the one who' and is the standard way to say 'whoever' or 'anyone who' when making a general statement. You usually only see vem som in the set phrase vem som helst (anyone at all) or as the subject in indirect questions.
How does the phrase vem han än må vara work, and could I just drop må?
Yes, you could just say vem han än är (whoever he is). Adding the concessive auxiliary må changes the meaning to 'whoever he may be'. This adds a slightly formal, dramatic, or poetic tone. Just remember that because må is a modal verb here, the following verb must be in the infinitive (vara).
Why is the word order vem han än instead of vem än han?
In these concessive clauses (expressing whoever, whatever, wherever, etc.), the word än usually comes immediately after the subject, not right after the question word. The typical pattern is: question word (vem) + subject (han) + än + verb (må vara).
Is the word må here the same verb we use when asking how someone is feeling, like in Hur mår du?