Breakdown of Att överleva är viktigt, men är existens alltid meningsfullt?
vara
to be
alltid
always
att
to
viktig
important
men
but
överleva
to survive
meningsfull
meaningful
existensen
the existence (fact of existing)
Questions & Answers about Att överleva är viktigt, men är existens alltid meningsfullt?
Why is it meningsfullt with a T at the end, when existens is an en-word?
This is a great example of 'categorizing neuter'. When we talk about an abstract concept or a mass noun in a broad, philosophical way like 'existence' in this sentence, Swedish often uses the neuter -t form for the adjective. It categorizes the noun as a general phenomenon rather than a specific, countable thing.
Why does viktigt also have a T? Is that the same categorizing rule?
Not quite. The adjective viktigt gets a -t because its subject is the infinitive verb phrase Att överleva (To survive). In Swedish, whenever an infinitive phrase acts as the subject of a sentence, it is grammatically treated as a neuter noun, so any connected predicative adjectives must take the -t ending.
Could I ever use meningsfull without the T when talking about existens?
Yes! If you are talking about a specific, individual existence or lifestyle rather than the abstract concept, you would use the standard en-word agreement. For example, you would say en meningsfull existens (a meaningful existence). The neuter -t in our sentence only happens because it refers to the uncounted, general concept of existence.
Why is the word order är existens instead of existens är in the second half?
The second clause is a direct question, asking 'is existence always meaningful?'. To form a question in Swedish, you invert the subject and verb, putting the verb (är) before the subject (existens). The conjunction men just links the statement and the question together without changing their normal internal word orders.
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