Questions & Answers about Offret ger oss evig makt, vad de än må tro.
How does the word må function in the phrase vad de än må tro?
The framework vad ... än means 'whatever'. Adding the concessive auxiliary må creates the meaning 'whatever they may believe'. It emphasizes that the main clause remains true regardless of their beliefs, adding a slightly dramatic or formal tone to the sentence.
I usually see som in these phrases, like vad som än händer. Why is there no som here?
You only add som when the question word (vad, vem, etc.) acts as the subject of the clause. In vad som än händer ('whatever happens'), 'whatever' is the subject. In our sentence, de (they) is the subject doing the believing, and vad is the object, so som is left out.
Does offret always translate to 'the sacrifice'?
No, ett offer can mean 'a sacrifice' (in a ritual or when giving something up), but it is also the standard Swedish word for 'a victim' (of a crime or accident). Here, the context of gaining evig makt ('eternal power') makes 'the sacrifice' the obvious translation.
Why is the adjective written as evig instead of evigt?