Breakdown of Vi pusslade på oförtröttligt hela natten.
vi
we
hel
whole
natten
the night
pussla
to do a jigsaw puzzle
på
on (continuative aspectual particle)
oförtröttligt
tirelessly
Questions & Answers about Vi pusslade på oförtröttligt hela natten.
How does the particle på change the meaning of the verb pusslade here?
Adding the particle på gives the verb a "continuative aspect"—meaning the action just kept going. While vi pusslade simply means "we did the puzzle", vi pusslade på emphasizes that we kept on doing it continuously, much like saying "we puzzled away" or "kept on puzzling" in English.
When speaking this sentence, where should I put the stress in pusslade på?
As is standard with Swedish particle verbs, the stress falls heavily on the particle rather than the verb itself. You should emphasize på, making it sound like one connected unit: "pusslade-PÅ".
In English, the translation says "doing the jigsaw puzzle", but there is no word for "doing" in the Swedish sentence. Why?
In Swedish, you don't need a helper verb like att göra (to do) for this activity. Instead, the noun ett pussel (a puzzle) is turned directly into the verb att pussla (to put a puzzle together, or to "puzzle").
How is the long adverb oförtröttligt constructed?
Why is natten in its definite form ("the night") after hela?
This is a strict Swedish grammar rule that is good to review: the adjective hel (whole/all) must always be followed by a noun in the definite form. To say "all night" or "the whole night", you literally say "the whole the-night" (hela natten).
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