Breakdown of Den som förråder eden dör, vem han än må vara.
vara
to be
han
he
vem
who
dö
to die
som
who / which / that (relative pronoun)
den
the one (who)
än
ever (concessive particle)
må
may (concessive auxiliary)
eden
the oath
förråda
to betray
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?
Historically they are related, but today they function as two completely different verbs! The one in this sentence is a modal auxiliary meaning 'may', and it is mostly reserved for formal expressions or specific grammatical structures like this one. The everyday verb for how you are feeling (att må) behaves like a normal main verb.
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