Breakdown of Vi betalar hela summan i förskott.
betala
to pay
hel
whole
summan
the sum
i förskott
in advance
Questions & Answers about Vi betalar hela summan i förskott.
Why is the noun summan in the definite form after hela?
In Swedish, the adjective hela (meaning "the whole" or "all of the") requires the following noun to be in the definite form. It acts like a double-definite construction, so you say hela summan just like you would say hela dagen (the whole day), without needing a separate word for "the".
Could we use i förväg instead of i förskott to mean "in advance"?
No, they have different nuances. i förskott is specifically used for financial transactions, payments, or receiving something before it is due. i förväg is used for actions done ahead of time, like arriving early or warning someone.
Why is the present tense betalar used if the payment is happening in the future?
Swedish frequently uses the present tense for future events that are planned, scheduled, or highly certain to happen. It works exactly like the English present continuous in the translation "We are paying."
Does the word förskott have other common uses besides paying in advance?
Yes, it is often used as a noun on its own, ett förskott, which means "an advance" or "a prepayment" (like an advance on a salary). The root skott historically referred to a tax or contribution, which is also where the English phrase "scot-free" comes from.