Breakdown of Invigningen testar vår lojalitet, hur svårt det än må kännas.
det
it (neuter)
hur
how
svår
difficult
vår
our (vår/vårt/våra)
testa
to test
kännas
to feel (to have a certain feel, to seem)
än
ever (concessive particle)
må
may (concessive auxiliary)
lojaliteten
the loyalty
invigningen
the initiation
Questions & Answers about Invigningen testar vår lojalitet, hur svårt det än må kännas.
How does the structure hur svårt det än må kännas translate to 'however difficult it may feel'?
In Swedish, combining a question word like hur (how) with the particle än creates the meaning of 'no matter how' or 'however'. The standard pattern for this is hur + [adjective/adverb] + [subject] + än. Adding the auxiliary verb må (may) completes the concessive meaning, resulting in 'no matter how difficult it may feel'.
Is the word må here related to the verb used in phrases like jag mår bra (I feel good)?
No, they are actually completely different verbs. In jag mår bra, the verb is att må (to feel/to be doing), and the present tense is mår. In this sentence, må is an auxiliary verb meaning 'may' or 'might'. At the B2 level, you will mostly see this auxiliary må in these kinds of 'no matter what/how' clauses.
Could I drop må and just say hur svårt det än känns?
Yes, you absolutely can. Saying hur svårt det än känns simply means 'however difficult it feels' and is a bit more direct. Adding må changes it to 'however difficult it may feel', which softens the statement and is a highly idiomatic fit for this grammatical structure.
Why does the verb kännas end in an -s here? Is it in the passive voice?
While the -s ending is often used for the passive voice in Swedish, here kännas functions as an intransitive verb meaning 'to feel' in a sensory or emotional way (as in 'it feels difficult'). You use kännas when describing a sensation, whereas att känna without the -s is used when a person actively feels an object or an emotion (like jag känner mig trött).
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