Breakdown of Små förändringar kan göra skillnad.
kunna
to be able to, can
liten
small
förändringen
the change
göra skillnad
to make a difference
Questions & Answers about Små förändringar kan göra skillnad.
Why does this sentence use förändringar instead of ändringar?
In Swedish, en förändring usually refers to a broader, more abstract, or organic change, such as changes in lifestyle, society, or the climate. En ändring typically refers to a specific, deliberate modification or correction, like altering a schedule or changing a password. Since this sentence talks about general, abstract changes having an impact, förändringar is the natural choice.
The English translation says 'make a difference,' but the Swedish sentence doesn't use en. Why is it just göra skillnad?
Swedish often drops the indefinite article (en or ett) in set idioms, especially with abstract nouns when discussing a general concept rather than a countable thing. While you might occasionally hear göra en skillnad, göra skillnad is the standard, natural way to express having an impact or making a difference.
We use göra here for 'make.' Does Swedish always use göra when English uses 'make'?
No, and this is a common trap! While göra covers both 'do' and 'make,' Swedish uses different verbs for many common English expressions. For instance, 'make a decision' is fatta ett beslut and 'make money' is tjäna pengar. However, for the phrase 'make a difference,' Swedish and English align perfectly with göra skillnad.
As a quick refresher, why is the adjective små used here instead of adding a standard plural suffix?
Små is the highly irregular plural form of liten (small). Unlike regular adjectives that simply add an -a in the plural (such as stor becoming stora), liten changes completely to små to agree with the plural noun förändringar. Note that standard Swedish does not use the form småa.
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