Word
Han brukar fråga vem som köper sprayburken till graffitin.
Meaning
He usually asks who buys the spray can for the graffiti.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Han brukar fråga vem som köper sprayburken till graffitin.
han
he
vem
who
köpa
to buy
till
for (to go with)
Questions & Answers about Han brukar fråga vem som köper sprayburken till graffitin.
Why is som required after vem in this sentence?
In Swedish, when a question word like vem (who) or vad (what) is the subject of an indirect question, you must insert the relative particle som right after it. Since vem is the one doing the buying here, it is the subject of that clause, making vem som köper mandatory. If vem were the object (e.g., 'who he sees'), you would leave som out.
Is it possible to use an adverb for 'usually' instead of brukar?
Yes, you could use an adverb like vanligtvis or oftast (e.g., Han frågar vanligtvis), but using the auxiliary verb brukar plus an infinitive is by far the most natural and common way to express a habitual action in Swedish. Han brukar fråga is the standard, idiomatic way to say 'He usually asks'.
Why do we use the preposition till for 'for' in this context?
The preposition till is frequently used in Swedish to express the intended purpose, destination, or recipient of an object. Because the spray can is a tool specifically intended for creating the graffiti, till is the correct preposition to link them.
How does the word graffiti form its definite version (graffitin)?