Breakdown of Du får bo här så länge du tar hand om hunden.
du
you (singular)
här
here
hunden
the dog
bo
to live
Questions & Answers about Du får bo här så länge du tar hand om hunden.
Why isn't there a som after så länge in this sentence?
When så länge acts as a subordinating conjunction meaning "as long as," the word som is optional. You will frequently hear Swedes drop it in everyday speech and informal writing. Saying så länge som du tar hand om hunden would also be completely correct.
Is så länge expressing time or a condition here?
It is doing both! It means "during the time that" (temporal), but it also sets a strict condition: your permission to stay depends entirely on you looking after the dog. This dual function works exactly the same as "as long as" does in English.
Why does the English translation say "stay" when bo normally means "live"? Shouldn't it be stanna?
In Swedish, stanna means to physically remain in a location or to stop moving. When you talk about "staying" somewhere in the sense of lodging or having a place to sleep (like at a friend's house or a hotel), you must use bo.
"You can" is usually translated as du kan. Why is it du får here?
får is the verb used to express permission (meaning "may" or "are allowed to"). English speakers casually use "can" for permission, but translating that literally to Du kan bo här would sound more like you have the physical capability or opportunity to stay, rather than being granted permission.