Breakdown of Vartenda barn grät skräckslaget i rulltrappan då.
barnet
the child
i
in
gråta
to cry
då
then, in that case
Questions & Answers about Vartenda barn grät skräckslaget i rulltrappan då.
Why are skräckslaget, i rulltrappan, and då in this specific order?
This sentence perfectly demonstrates the standard Swedish "Sätt-Rum-Tid" (Manner-Place-Time) rule for ordering information at the end of a clause. Skräckslaget tells us how they cried (Manner), i rulltrappan tells us where (Place), and då tells us when (Time). Mixing up this order sounds very unnatural in Swedish.
Why does skräckslaget end with a -t here?
It is the adjective skräckslagen (terrified/panic-stricken) being used as an adverb of manner to describe the verb (how the children cried). To turn an adjective into an adverb in Swedish, you use its neuter form. Because skräckslagen ends in -en, its neuter and adverbial form ends in -et, becoming skräckslaget.
Why is it vartenda barn instead of varenda barn?
The word for "every single" has to agree with the gender of the noun it modifies. Because barn is an ett-word (ett barn), you must use the neuter form vartenda. You would use varenda for en-words, such as varenda person.
Why use the preposition i (i rulltrappan) when the English translation says " the escalator"?