Breakdown of Eftersom vi insett orsaken till problemet, så kan vi minska spridningen.
vi
we
kunna
to be able to, can
till
to (direction, destination)
problemet
the problem
så
so
inse
to realize
eftersom
since, because
minska
to reduce
orsaken
the cause
spridningen
the spread
Questions & Answers about Eftersom vi insett orsaken till problemet, så kan vi minska spridningen.
Why is it orsaken till problemet instead of orsaken av problemet to mean 'the cause of the problem'?
In Swedish, the abstract noun orsak (cause or reason) strongly pairs with the preposition till. While English uses 'of' to connect many abstract nouns, Swedish frequently requires specific prepositions like till or på. It is a great habit to memorize the required preposition alongside the noun as a set phrase.
Why does the sentence say vi insett and not vi har insett? Is a word missing?
Yes, the auxiliary verb har has been left out. In Swedish, it is a very common stylistic choice to drop har or hade in subordinate clauses, such as those starting with eftersom, att, or om. The sentence means exactly the same thing as if har were included.
What is the function of the word så right before the main clause starts?
Here, så acts as a spoken-language bridge between the subordinate clause (starting with Eftersom) and the main clause. While not strictly required, it makes the sentence sound much more natural. It also neatly sets up the V2 (verb-second) rule for the main clause, acting as the first position so the verb kan comes immediately after it.
How is the noun spridningen built from its root verb?
Spridningen (the spread) comes from the verb sprida (to spread). By taking the verb root and adding the suffix -ning, it turns into a noun. The final -en makes it definite. Adding -ning is one of the most productive ways to create abstract nouns from verbs in Swedish.
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