Breakdown of Om skogen inte var så tät, skulle vi komma någonvart.
vara
to be
vi
we
inte
not
komma
to come
skogen
the forest
så
so
om
if, whether
skulle
would
tät
dense
någonvart
somewhere (direction)
Questions & Answers about Om skogen inte var så tät, skulle vi komma någonvart.
Why use någonvart instead of någonstans in this sentence?
Någonvart is used because it indicates direction or movement toward a place (meaning to somewhere), which pairs with the action of the verb komma (to get or come). If there were no movement involved, you would use the location adverb någonstans, as in vi är någonstans (we are somewhere).
Why does inte come before the verb var in the first clause?
Because Om skogen inte var så tät is a subordinate clause starting with the word om. In Swedish subordinate clauses, sentence adverbs like inte must be placed before the conjugated verb. You might remember this from earlier levels as the BIFF rule.
Why is the word order skulle vi and not vi skulle in the second half?
The entire first part of the sentence, Om skogen inte var så tät, counts as the first block of information. Because Swedish main clauses follow the V2 rule (the verb must come in the second position), the verb skulle must come immediately after the comma, pushing the subject vi to the other side of the verb.
I have seen vore used for hypothetical situations. Could I use it instead of var here?
Yes, you could absolutely say Om skogen inte vore så tät. Vore is the subjunctive form of the verb vara, used specifically for imaginary or hypothetical situations. However, using the standard past tense var for hypotheticals is extremely common in modern everyday Swedish and is perfectly correct.
Learn Om skogen inte var så tät, skulle vi komma någonvart and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free