Breakdown of I och med att tron är viktig har nunnan varit ödmjuk sedan hon kom hit.
vara
to be
hon
she
ha
to have
komma
to come
viktig
important
hit
here (direction)
i och med att
since / as (because)
sedan
since (from a point in time)
nunnan
the nun
tron
the faith (belief, religious)
ödmjuk
humble
Questions & Answers about I och med att tron är viktig har nunnan varit ödmjuk sedan hon kom hit.
Why do we use the present perfect (har varit) in the main clause, but the simple past (kom) after sedan?
When sedan means "since" and describes an ongoing state, it links a continuous situation to a specific starting point in the past. The starting event is finished, so it takes the simple past (hon kom hit). The state resulting from it is still happening, so the main clause requires the present perfect (har nunnan varit ödmjuk).
Why is the word order in the main clause har nunnan varit instead of nunnan har varit?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action. The entire first part of the sentence, I och med att tron är viktig, acts as a single subordinate clause occupying the first position. To keep the main verb in the second position, har must immediately follow it, pushing the subject (nunnan) to the third position.
What exactly does the phrase I och med att mean?
I och med att is a common fixed conjunction meaning "given that," "because," or "seeing as." While it literally translates to "in and with that," you will often use it to explain that a specific circumstance or new fact is the direct cause of something else.
Why does the sentence use hit instead of här for "here"?
In Swedish, there is a strict difference between location (where you are) and destination (where you are going). Because the verb kom (came) involves movement toward a destination, you must use the directional hit (to here) instead of the stationary här (at here).
Why is "faith" translated using the definite form, tron?
Tron is the definite form of en tro (a belief or faith). Swedish frequently uses the definite form for abstract nouns when speaking about them in a general sense, which is why "faith is important" becomes "the faith is important" (tron är viktig).
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