Breakdown of Mannen var tvungen att andas djupt när han höll på att svimma.
han
he
mannen
the man
när
when
djup
deep
andas
to breathe
svimma
to faint
vara tvungen att
to have to
hålla på att
to almost do (averted action)
Questions & Answers about Mannen var tvungen att andas djupt när han höll på att svimma.
How does höll på att svimma translate to "almost fainted" instead of "was fainting"?
The phrase hålla på att usually means "to be doing something" (like the English "-ing" form). However, when paired with a sudden, involuntary action like svimma (to faint), the meaning shifts to an averted action: "almost did" or "was just about to". Since fainting is an instantaneous event, han höll på att svimma means he was on the very edge of fainting, rather than in the continuous process of it.
Why is var tvungen att used here instead of a past tense form of måste?
While måste (must/have to) can technically be used in the past tense, it is often ambiguous because the word itself doesn't change form. To clearly express "had to" in the past, Swedes typically use the construction vara tvungen att (literally "to be forced to"), which becomes var tvungen att here.
Why does andas end in an -s? Is it passive?
No, it is not passive. andas (to breathe) is a deponent verb. Deponent verbs are special verbs that always end in an -s but have a completely active meaning. You have likely encountered this concept before with words like hoppas (to hope) and minnas (to remember).
Why is the word for "deeply" written as djupt with a -t at the end?
In this sentence, djupt is functioning as an adverb because it describes the verb andas (how he breathed). In Swedish, you generally create an adverb from an adjective by adding a -t, making it look exactly like the neuter form of the adjective (djup -> djupt).
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