Breakdown of Förhandlarna hoppas att de kan undvika att strejka.
de
they
att
to
kunna
to be able to, can
hoppas
to hope
undvika
to avoid
förhandlaren
the negotiator
strejka
to strike
Questions & Answers about Förhandlarna hoppas att de kan undvika att strejka.
Why is the definite plural spelled förhandlarna instead of "förhandlarena"?
The noun förhandlare (negotiator) belongs to Group 5, meaning its singular and indefinite plural forms are identical. When adding the definite plural suffix -na, Swedish drops the final -e from förhandlare. This dropping of a vowel (syncopation) makes the word flow better, giving us förhandlarna.
How does the word förhandlare break down linguistically?
The base is the verb förhandla (to negotiate). Adding the suffix -are creates the noun for the person doing the action: förhandlare (negotiator). This is exactly like adding "-er" to a verb in English (e.g., "negotiate" to "negotiator" or "teach" to "teacher").
Why does hoppas end in an -s here? Is it a passive verb?
No, it is not passive. Hoppas is a deponent verb. This means it is formed with an -s on the end (which usually marks the passive voice) but it carries a purely active meaning ("to hope"). You have likely seen this pattern before with verbs like minnas (to remember) and trivas (to thrive/enjoy).
The English translation says "avoid striking," but the Swedish uses att strejka. Why isn't there a Swedish "-ing" form here?
Swedish doesn't have a direct grammatical equivalent to the English gerund (verbs ending in "-ing" acting as nouns). When English uses an "-ing" verb as the object of another verb—like "avoid striking"—Swedish typically uses the infinitive marker att plus the infinitive verb. So, it translates more literally to "avoid to strike".
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