Breakdown of Några studerande förvägrades möjligheten eftersom budgeten var liten.
vara
to be
några
some / any (plural)
liten
small
eftersom
since, because
budgeten
the budget
möjligheten
the opportunity
studeranden
the student (general)
förvägra
to deny (withhold)
Questions & Answers about Några studerande förvägrades möjligheten eftersom budgeten var liten.
How does the passive voice work with förvägrades here?
The verb förvägra (to deny) takes two objects: a recipient (who is denied) and a direct object (what is denied). In this recipient passive construction, the original recipient (några studerande) is promoted to be the subject of the sentence. The direct object (möjligheten) stays right where it is, just like in the English phrase 'students were denied the opportunity'.
Why is the word studerande used here instead of studenter?
Studerande is a present participle functioning as a noun, meaning 'a studying person'. Nouns ending in -ande or -ende that refer to people do not change their form in the plural. Therefore, några studerande means 'some students'. Using några studenter would also be completely correct.
What is the difference between vägrades and förvägrades?
They are very similar and both translate to 'were denied' or 'were refused'. Adding the för- prefix to vägra makes the tone slightly more formal and strongly emphasizes the administrative act of withholding something from someone, which perfectly fits a sentence about a limited budget.
Why does budgeten var liten keep a straight subject-verb word order?
Because eftersom is a subordinating conjunction, it introduces a subordinate (dependent) clause. In Swedish subordinate clauses, the subject (budgeten) always comes before the verb (var). The famous V2 (verb-second) rule, where word order often inverts, only applies to main clauses.
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