Breakdown of Husvakten bor på övervåningen så länge som vi är borta.
vara
to be
vi
we
bo
to live
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
borta
away, gone (location)
så länge
as long as
övervåningen
the upper floor
husvakten
the house sitter
Questions & Answers about Husvakten bor på övervåningen så länge som vi är borta.
Do I need to include som in så länge som, or can I leave it out?
You can leave it out. Both så länge som and just så länge mean 'as long as' and are perfectly correct. Dropping som is very common in everyday spoken Swedish.
If I start the sentence with Så länge som vi är borta, how does the word order change?
The subordinate clause takes up the first position, so the main clause must follow the V2 (verb-second) rule. The verb bor has to come immediately after the clause: Så länge som vi är borta bor husvakten på övervåningen.
Why does this sentence use borta instead of bort?
Borta expresses a fixed location or state (being away), whereas bort expresses direction or movement (going away). Because the verb is är (are), which describes a stationary state, you must use the location form borta.
Why do we use the preposition på before övervåningen instead of i?
In Swedish, you always use the preposition på when talking about floors, levels, or storeys in a building. This works just like the English phrase 'on the upper floor'.
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