Breakdown of ”Vi måste spela in det här igen”, sa ljudteknikern.
vi
we
måste
to have to, must
det här
this (ett)
säga
to say
Questions & Answers about ”Vi måste spela in det här igen”, sa ljudteknikern.
Why is the word order sa ljudteknikern and not ljudteknikern sa?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action! The entire spoken quote counts as the first element in the main sentence. Because the verb must come second, sa has to appear right after the quote, before the subject ljudteknikern.
Can I separate the verb and its particle, like spela det här in?
No, Swedish phrasal verbs do not split like they sometimes do in English. The particle in must stay right next to the verb spela, so it is always spela in det här.
How does the word ljudteknikern break down?
It is a compound of ljud (sound) and tekniker (technician). Because tekniker ends in -er, its definite form (the technician) simply adds an -n, becoming teknikern. Together, you get ljudteknikern.
Why use det här instead of just detta for the word this?
Both mean this, but det här is much more common in everyday spoken Swedish. That makes it a natural choice here since it is a direct quote of someone speaking. The word detta would sound a bit more formal or written.