Breakdown of Jag tror att vi kan se varifrån den kom.
jag
I
vi
we
den
it (common)
tro
to believe
kunna
to be able to, can
komma
to come
se
to see
att
that
varifrån
from where
Questions & Answers about Jag tror att vi kan se varifrån den kom.
How exactly does varifrån work here, and can I split it up like in English?
Varifrån literally translates to "where from" and is used as a single combined word to introduce the clause. In written and standard Swedish, keeping it as one word is preferred. In casual speech, you might hear people split it up and say var den kom från (where it came from), which mirrors the English structure, but varifrån is the more elegant and proper choice you are learning in this lesson.
Why is the word order den kom instead of kom den? Isn't varifrån a question word?
While varifrån is built from a question word, here it acts as a subordinating conjunction introducing an indirect question. Indirect questions always use standard subordinate clause word order: subject (den) + verb (kom). If this were a direct question standing alone, the verb would come before the subject: Varifrån kom den?
Could I skip the word att in this sentence, just like skipping "that" in English?
Yes, just like in English, the att is optional in casual speech, so you could absolutely say Jag tror vi kan se varifrån den kom. However, keeping att is always a safe choice, very common, and makes the sentence structure clearer, especially in writing.
Can I use kommer instead of kom at the end of the sentence?
Grammatically yes, but it changes the context. You use kom (past tense) if you are talking about a specific event that already happened, like looking at an object that flew in and landed. You would use kommer (present tense) if you are talking about a continuous state, like trying to find the source of a flowing river or a recurring noise.
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