Breakdown of Monstren kan bli hur farliga som helst.
hur
how
kunna
to be able to, can
bli
to become
farlig
dangerous
Questions & Answers about Monstren kan bli hur farliga som helst.
How does the phrase hur farliga som helst work to mean 'as dangerous as you like'?
It uses the pattern hur plus an adjective plus som helst. While som helst usually translates to 'any' or 'whatever' like in vem som helst (anyone), placing hur and an adjective before it creates an intensified phrase meaning 'as [adjective] as possible', 'however [adjective]', or 'infinitely [adjective]'.
Why does the adjective take the plural form farliga inside this set phrase?
Even though hur ... som helst acts like a fixed expression, the adjective inside it still has to agree with the noun it modifies. Because Monstren is plural, the adjective must take the plural ending -a.
Why is the definite plural form Monstren instead of something like 'monsterna'?
The word monster is an ett-word that ends in -er. For these types of words, the indefinite plural is exactly the same as the singular (ett monster, två monster). When making it definite plural, Swedish drops the 'e' in the suffix to avoid a clunky sound, resulting in monstren.
What is the difference between saying kan bli and kan vara in this sentence?