Breakdown of Prototypen ser mycket bättre ut än vad reklamfilmen visade.
mycket
much / very
vad
what
visa
to show
än
than
bättre
better (bra → bättre → bäst)
se ut
to look, to appear
prototypen
the prototype
reklamfilmen
the commercial (film/video)
Questions & Answers about Prototypen ser mycket bättre ut än vad reklamfilmen visade.
Why do we use än vad here instead of just än?
In Swedish, when you compare something to an action or a whole clause rather than a simple noun, it is very common to use än vad (than what). Here, you aren't comparing the prototype to the commercial itself, but to what the commercial showed. You could technically drop vad and just say än reklamfilmen visade, but adding vad acts as a clear placeholder for the object and makes the sentence flow very naturally.
Why is ut placed after mycket bättre instead of right after ser?
This is because of how the phrasal verb ser ut (looks/appears) works. When you describe how something looks, the descriptive adjectives go right between ser and ut. Just as 'looks good' is ser bra ut, 'looks much better' is split into ser mycket bättre ut.
Could I use mer instead of mycket before bättre?
No, you should stick to mycket. When you want to intensify a comparative adjective in Swedish (like 'better', 'faster', 'bigger'), you use mycket. Using mer bättre is a common trap because it is the literal equivalent of saying 'more better', which is grammatically incorrect in both Swedish and English.
How does the compound word reklamfilmen break down?
It combines reklam (advertising/commercials in general) and filmen (the film/video). In Swedish, TV or video commercials are almost always referred to with this specific compound noun, en reklamfilm.
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