Breakdown of Varifrån försökte mannen smuggla guldet?
mannen
the man
försöka
to try
guldet
the gold
varifrån
from where
smuggla
to smuggle
Questions & Answers about Varifrån försökte mannen smuggla guldet?
In English we usually put 'from' at the end of the sentence ('Where... from?'). Can I split varifrån like that in Swedish?
Yes, splitting it is actually the most common way to say this in spoken Swedish. To do it, you put var at the beginning of the question and ifrån at the end. The sentence becomes: Var försökte mannen smuggla guldet ifrån?
Is there a difference in tone between starting with varifrån versus splitting it into Var ... ifrån?
Yes. Keeping varifrån together as a single word at the start of the sentence is standard for written or slightly more formal Swedish. Splitting it is relaxed and is the preferred way to ask this question in everyday speech.
Why is the subject mannen placed between the two verbs försökte and smuggla?
This is due to the strict V2 (verb-second) rule. The question word varifrån takes the first position, so the conjugated verb försökte must come second. In a question, the subject mannen then has to step in right after that first verb, pushing the second verb smuggla further back in the sentence.
Why is there no att (to) before smuggla, since the English translation is 'to smuggle'?
The verb försöka (to try) is one of several verbs in Swedish that often drop the infinitive marker att. While försökte att smuggla is also grammatically correct, dropping the att is extremely common and sounds much more natural in everyday flow.
Learn Varifrån försökte mannen smuggla guldet 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