Breakdown of Visst blev tältet opraktiskt, men stjärnhimlen var charmig.
vara
to be
tältet
the tent
men
but
bli
to become
visst
certainly
stjärnhimlen
the starry sky
opraktisk
impractical
charmig
charming
Questions & Answers about Visst blev tältet opraktiskt, men stjärnhimlen var charmig.
How does the Visst, men structure work in this sentence?
The combination visst [X], men [Y] is used to concede a point before making a counter-argument. Here, visst means something like 'admittedly' or 'sure'. It acknowledges the drawback (the tent being impractical) before introducing the positive side with men.
Why is the word order different in the two halves of the sentence?
Visst acts as an adverb at the beginning of the first clause, which triggers the V2 (verb-second) rule, so the verb blev must come right after it. In the second half, men is a coordinating conjunction, which doesn't take up a structural position in the clause. Therefore, the subject stjärnhimlen takes the first spot in its clause, followed by the verb var.
Why does the sentence use blev for the tent but var for the sky?
Using blev (became or turned out to be) implies that the impracticality of the tent was a result of the situation or something they discovered through experience. On the other hand, var (was) is used for the starry sky because its charm was an inherent, constant state rather than a new development.
Why does the adjective opraktiskt end in a -t here?
It must agree with tältet (the tent), which is an ett-word. Even though they are separated by the verb, opraktiskt describes the neuter noun, so it must take the neuter -t ending.
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