Breakdown of På grund av scenskräck försökte jonglören inte ens.
inte
not
försöka
to try
på grund av
because of
ens
even
jonglören
the juggler
scenskräcken
the stage fright
Questions & Answers about På grund av scenskräck försökte jonglören inte ens.
The lesson says inte ens usually goes right before what it modifies. Why is it at the end of the sentence here?
Here, inte ens modifies the action of trying. However, main clause word order takes priority: the V2 rule forces the finite verb försökte into the second position, so it cannot be preceded by inte ens. Instead, inte ens takes the standard sentence adverb position after the verb and subject. Because there is no object or extra verb in this sentence, it simply sits at the end.
How would the word order change if this were a subordinate clause?
If this were a subordinate clause (for example, starting with eftersom instead of på grund av), the BIFF rule would apply. The sentence adverbial inte ens would move before the finite verb, putting it exactly where the lesson describes: ...eftersom jonglören inte ens försökte.
Why is the verb försökte placed before the subject jonglören?
The sentence starts with the prepositional phrase På grund av scenskräck (Because of stage fright). Since Swedish is a verb-second (V2) language, the finite verb försökte must take the second position in the clause. This inverts the usual subject-verb order and pushes jonglören to the third position.
What is the difference between using på grund av and eftersom?
På grund av is a prepositional phrase meaning 'because of' or 'due to' and must be followed by a noun or pronoun (like the noun scenskräck). If you wanted to express the same idea using a full clause with a subject and verb, you would use a conjunction like eftersom (because).
Learn På grund av scenskräck försökte jonglören inte ens and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free