Word
Vi träffades på universitetet och ända sedan dess är vi vänner.
Meaning
We met at the university and ever since then we have been friends.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Vi träffades på universitetet och ända sedan dess är vi vänner.
vara
to be
vi
we
och
and
vännen
the friend
Questions & Answers about Vi träffades på universitetet och ända sedan dess är vi vänner.
Why does the sentence use the present tense är vi vänner when the English translation says "have been friends"?
In Swedish, when a state started in the past and is still ongoing, you use the present tense along with a time expression. Because the friendship is still happening today, Swedish uses the present tense är, whereas English requires the present perfect "have been".
Why is the word order är vi vänner instead of vi är vänner in the second half of the sentence?
This is the Swedish V2 (verb-second) rule in action. The time phrase ända sedan dess occupies the first position of the second main clause. Therefore, the verb är must take the second position, pushing the subject vi to the third position.
How does the phrase ända sedan dess work to mean "ever since then"?
Sedan dess directly translates to "since then" (with dess being an old possessive form of det). Adding the word ända, which generally means "all the way", serves as an intensifier to emphasize the unbroken duration, giving us "ever since then".
Is träffades a passive verb in this sentence?
No, this is a reciprocal s-verb. While the -s ending is often used for the passive voice, here it indicates that the subjects did the action to each other. Vi träffades simply means "we met each other".