Breakdown of Vi undrar varifrån förslaget kom om den där tidpunkten inte heller fungerade.
vi
we
inte
not
komma
to come
fungera
to work / to function (machines, devices) / to act as, serve as
den där
that (en)
undra
to wonder
om
if, whether
förslaget
the suggestion
heller
either (in negative sentences, e.g. not either)
varifrån
from where
tidpunkten
the point in time
Questions & Answers about Vi undrar varifrån förslaget kom om den där tidpunkten inte heller fungerade.
Why are inte and heller placed before the verb fungerade?
The phrase om den där tidpunkten inte heller fungerade is a subordinate clause, introduced by the conjunction om. In Swedish subordinate clauses, sentence adverbs like inte and heller must come before the conjugated verb. If this were a main clause, the verb would come first, as in Den där tidpunkten fungerade inte heller.
Do inte and heller always have to be right next to each other when used together?
In subordinate clauses like this one, yes. Because the rule forces all sentence adverbs to move before the verb, inte and heller group together into a single block. In a regular main clause, the verb usually sits before the adverbs, so you would say fungerade inte heller.
Why does tidpunkt have the definite suffix -en after den där?
In Swedish, pointing words like den där (that) and den här (this) must be followed by a noun in its definite form. This is known as double definiteness. Since tidpunkt is an en-word, it becomes den där tidpunkten (literally: that there the point in time).
Could I split varifrån and put the preposition at the end of the clause?
Yes! While varifrån (from where) is standard and slightly more formal, it is very common in everyday spoken Swedish to split it. You could absolutely say vi undrar var förslaget kom ifrån or vi undrar var förslaget kom från instead.
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