Breakdown of Eftersom du är så godtrogen genomskådar du honom aldrig.
vara
to be
du
you (singular)
aldrig
never
honom
him
så
so
eftersom
since, because
godtrogen
gullible
genomskåda
to see through
Questions & Answers about Eftersom du är så godtrogen genomskådar du honom aldrig.
Why is the word order genomskådar du instead of du genomskådar in the second half?
The sentence starts with a subordinate clause (Eftersom du är så godtrogen), which takes up the first position in the sentence. To satisfy the Swedish V2 rule, the verb of the main clause (genomskådar) must come exactly in the second position, pushing the subject (du) to the third position.
How is the adjective godtrogen formed?
It is a compound built from god (good) and trogen (faithful or loyal). A person who is "good-faith believing" is overly trusting, giving us the English translation "gullible" or "naive."
Is genomskåda a separable verb? Could I say skådar du honom aldrig genom?
No, genomskåda is strictly inseparable. While Swedish has many separable verbs where the particle can move to the end, compound verbs with a figurative or abstract meaning—like "seeing through" someone's pretense—are almost always permanently attached. The root verb skåda means "to behold" or "to look at."
Why is the sentence adverb aldrig placed at the very end, after the object honom?
In a main clause, sentence adverbs like aldrig normally come after the verb and subject. However, there is a special rule for unstressed object pronouns (like honom, mig, den): they shift to come before the sentence adverb. If the object were a full noun instead, the adverb would come before it, as in: ...genomskådar du aldrig mannen.
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