Breakdown of Bilen körde nästan över katten.
bilen
the car
katten
the cat
nästan
almost
köra över
to run over, to steamroll
Questions & Answers about Bilen körde nästan över katten.
Why is nästan placed between körde and över instead of before the verb like in English?
In Swedish main clauses, sentence adverbs like nästan (almost) usually come immediately after the conjugated (finite) verb. Even though köra över (to run over) is a particle verb, the adverb still slots in right after körde, separating the verb from its particle.
Where does the spoken stress fall in the phrase körde nästan över?
Because köra över is a particle verb here, the spoken stress falls heavily on the particle över, while körde remains largely unstressed. If you stressed körde instead, över would sound like a simple preposition of location, bizarrely implying the car was flying above the cat!
How would the word order change if this were a subordinate clause?
In a subordinate clause—for example, if you started with Jag såg att... (I saw that...)—you must apply the BIFF rule. This rule dictates that sentence adverbs like nästan move before the conjugated verb. The sentence would become: ...att bilen nästan körde över katten.
Can köra över be used figuratively, similar to how we use "walk all over someone" in English?
Yes! Just as in English, köra över has a strong figurative meaning. If someone completely ignores your opinions, bosses you around, or dominates a decision, you can say they ran over you: De körde över mig helt (They completely walked all over me).
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