Breakdown of Vi hör dem sjunga hela snapsvisan.
vi
we
sjunga
to sing
höra
to hear
dem
them
hel
whole
snapsvisan
the drinking song
Questions & Answers about Vi hör dem sjunga hela snapsvisan.
Why is there no den before hela snapsvisan?
Normally, when you have an adjective and a definite noun, you need the free definite article (like in den roliga snapsvisan). But hela (the whole) and halva (half the) are exceptions to this double-definite rule. They skip the free article and sit directly in front of the definite noun.
Why is sjunga missing the infinitive marker att?
After perception verbs like höra (to hear), se (to see), and känna (to feel), Swedish uses an infinitive without att. This works exactly like English: you say 'hear them sing', not 'hear them to sing'.
What exactly is a snapsvisa?
A snapsvisa is a traditional Swedish drinking song. It is a compound word made from snaps (a shot of liquor or akvavit) and visa (a traditional song or ballad). Singing a snapsvisa before taking a shot is a classic part of Swedish holidays like Midsummer.
In spoken Swedish, how is dem usually pronounced here?
It is almost always pronounced as dom. While dem is strictly used for the object form in standard writing, you will hear native speakers say Vi hör dom sjunga.
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