Breakdown of Vi slipper diskutera vad som förstör gatukonsten.
vi
we
vad
what
diskutera
to discuss
som
who / which / that (relative pronoun)
slippa
to not have to
förstöra
to destroy
gatukonsten
the street art
Questions & Answers about Vi slipper diskutera vad som förstör gatukonsten.
Why is som required after vad here?
In Swedish, when a question word like vad (what) or vem (who) is the subject of an indirect question, you must add som. Here, 'what' is the thing doing the destroying, making it the subject of the embedded clause vad som förstör gatukonsten. If 'what' were the object, like in 'what we destroy' (vad vi förstör), you would not use som.
Why isn't there an att before diskutera?
The verb slipper (meaning to avoid, be spared from, or not have to do something) works similarly to a modal verb here. It takes a bare infinitive directly after it, so you say slipper diskutera instead of slipper att diskutera.
How is the compound word gatukonsten formed?
It is made from gata (street) and konsten (the art). When a noun ending in -a like gata forms the first part of a compound word, the -a frequently changes to a connecting -u-. This is why it becomes gatukonsten rather than gatakonsten.
Can slipper and förstör refer to the future in this sentence?
Yes! Swedish often uses the present tense to talk about the future. Depending on the context, this sentence could mean 'We do not have to discuss what is destroying the street art' (happening now) or 'We will not have to discuss what will destroy the street art' (in the future).
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