Questions & Answers about Om barnen gnällde? De grät hela vägen.
Why does the first sentence start with Om instead of just asking Gnällde barnen?
This is the core of an 'echo response.' The speaker is reacting to someone else who just asked if the children whined. By answering with an isolated om-clause (Om barnen gnällde?), they are emphatically repeating the premise before upgrading it to something stronger. It translates roughly to 'Did they whine?! [That's an understatement]...'
Could you use a helper verb here, like Om de gjorde?
Yes! Just like in English ('Did they?'), you can use the dummy verb göra (to do) as a stand-in for the action, making it Om de gjorde?. However, repeating the exact verb (gnällde) makes the echo feel even more emphatic and specific.
What is the infinitive form of grät?
The infinitive is gråta (to cry). It is a strong verb, meaning it changes its root vowel in the past tense rather than taking a standard ending like -de or -te. The forms to memorize are gråter (present), grät (past), and gråtit (supine).
Why does hela vägen not need a standalone article like den hela vägen?