Breakdown of Arbetarna förkastade det nya avtalet eftersom de inte var eniga med styrelsen.
vara
to be
de
they
inte
not
ny
new
det
the (with ett-words)
med
with
eftersom
since, because
avtalet
the agreement
styrelsen
the board (of directors)
arbetaren
the worker
förkasta
to reject (ideas, proposals)
enig
united
Questions & Answers about Arbetarna förkastade det nya avtalet eftersom de inte var eniga med styrelsen.
Why is the word for the workers spelled arbetarna and not arbetarena?
The base word is arbetare (worker), which belongs to the group of nouns ending in -are. When forming the definite plural, these words drop their final -e before adding the definite suffix -na. This vowel-dropping (syncopation) makes the word flow better, giving us arbetarna.
Why is inte placed before the verb var in the second half of the sentence?
The word eftersom (because) introduces a subordinate clause. In Swedish subordinate clauses, sentence adverbs like inte are always placed before the finite verb. You might remember this from the BIFF rule (Bisats, Inte Före Finita verbet).
Is the verb förkastade (rejected) related to kasta (to throw)?
Yes! The base verb kasta means to throw. Adding the prefix för- often creates a more abstract or conclusive meaning. In this case, förkasta essentially implies throwing something away, which is used in formal contexts to mean reject or dismiss, such as rejecting a contract.
Why do we use eniga instead of enig here?
Enig is an adjective meaning agreed or united. Because it functions as a predicative adjective describing the plural subject de (the workers), it must take the plural ending -a to become eniga.
Why does avtalet have the -et ending when det nya already shows it is definite?
This is a classic example of Swedish double definiteness. When a definite noun is modified by an adjective, you need the independent definite article det, the definite form of the adjective nya, and the definite suffix on the noun itself, giving us det nya avtalet.
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