Breakdown of Råkade du göra bort dig igen?
du
you (singular)
igen
again
råka
to happen to
göra bort sig
to embarrass oneself
Questions & Answers about Råkade du göra bort dig igen?
Why is there no att before göra in this sentence?
The verb råka is acting as a semi-modal verb here, meaning to accidentally do something or to happen to do something. Just like true modal verbs such as kan or måste, it is followed directly by the bare infinitive göra without the infinitive marker att.
How does göra bort dig translate to embarrass yourself?
The phrase göra bort sig is a fixed Swedish idiom. Literally, it translates to doing away oneself, but it actually means to make a fool of oneself or to embarrass oneself. It is highly common in everyday speech.
Why do we use dig instead of sig in this idiom?
Even though the dictionary form of the phrase is göra bort sig, the reflexive pronoun must always agree with the subject. Since the subject of this sentence is du, the reflexive pronoun becomes dig.
Does råkade always mean accidentally?
When followed by a verb in the infinitive, like göra here, it means accidentally or happened to. However, if it is used with a noun or pronoun as a direct object instead of a verb, råka means to meet or encounter someone by chance.