Breakdown of Trots att institutionen misslyckats, finns optimismen kvar.
kvar
left (remaining)
trots att
although, in spite of the fact that
finnas
to exist, to be there
misslyckas
to fail
institutionen
the institution
optimismen
the optimism
Questions & Answers about Trots att institutionen misslyckats, finns optimismen kvar.
How do we know the gender and plural of institutionen just by looking at the word?
International loanwords ending in -ion, like institution, are dependably en-words. Because of this, it takes -en in the definite singular form. When making these words plural, they consistently belong to the group that adds -er (becoming institutioner).
Does the suffix in optimismen also follow a predictable pattern?
Yes! Words ending in -ism (like optimism or kapitalism) are also dependably en-words, which is why it takes the definite ending -en. These words rarely have a plural form since they usually describe abstract concepts or ideologies, but their gender is highly consistent.
Why is the verb just misslyckats instead of har misslyckats?
In Swedish subordinate clauses (triggered here by trots att), you are allowed to drop the auxiliary verb har or hade. This is a rule often called ha-bortfall (ha-omission) and is very common in written or slightly formal Swedish. You could write har misslyckats, but dropping it is very natural at this level.
Why does the main clause start with the verb finns instead of the subject optimismen?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire subordinate clause (Trots att institutionen misslyckats) acts as the first block of information. To keep the main verb in the second position, finns must come immediately after the comma, pushing the subject (optimismen) to the third position.
How do the words finns and kvar work together here?
The verb finns means 'exists', and the adverb kvar means 'left' or 'remaining'. Together, the particle verb finnas kvar translates naturally to 'remain' or 'to still be there'.
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