Breakdown of Utan bruset är det enkelt att andas, tänka och vara närvarande.
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
och
and
att
to
enkel
simple
tänka
to think (reflect)
andas
to breathe
utan
without (+ noun)
bruset
the noise
närvarande
present
Questions & Answers about Utan bruset är det enkelt att andas, tänka och vara närvarande.
Why is there only one att for the three verbs andas, tänka, and vara?
When you have a list of verbs in the infinitive joined by commas or och (and), you usually drop the infinitive marker att for all but the first verb. You only need the first att to set up the pattern: att andas, [att] tänka och [att] vara. This makes the sentence flow much more naturally, just like in English!
Why use bruset for "the noise" instead of ljudet or bullret?
Brus specifically refers to a continuous, static-like background noise (like white noise, the roar of the ocean, or a buzzing crowd). In contexts like this sentence, it is frequently used metaphorically to mean mental clutter, stress, or the overwhelming "noise" of modern daily life. Ljud is just a neutral word for sound, and buller refers to loud, disruptive physical noise (like construction or heavy traffic).
Since andas ends in an "s", is it being used in the passive voice here?
No, andas (to breathe) is a deponent verb. Deponent verbs are special verbs in Swedish that always end in -s but have an active, not passive, meaning. Other common deponent verbs you already know at this level are hoppas (to hope) and minnas (to remember).
Why is the word order är det enkelt instead of det är enkelt?
This is a classic example of the V2 (verb-second) rule. Because the sentence begins with the prepositional phrase Utan bruset (Without the noise), the verb är must immediately follow it to maintain its position as the second block of information. The subject det is forced to flip to the other side of the verb.
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