"Hon kommer när som helst."
Translation:She comes at any time.
31 Comments
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Usually, in this kind of sentence 'när som helst' has the meaning of 'any minute now' = very soon.
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What do each of the words in this sentence mean and how exactly does it fit together?
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Hon (She = subject) kommer (comes = verb, present tense, as in near future) - the beginning is the easy part. The rest is an idiomatic phrasing --- NÄR (When = 'time') + SOM (conjuction = as/when..) + HELST (meaning here: 'whenever') - this part kan be written as one word, NÄRSOMHELST (Whenever). All the three words seem to have the same meaning, but creats this unique meaning when working together. And has corresonding concepts in: VARSOMHELST (Whereever), HURSOMHELST (Anyway). --- But "när som helst", which COULD mean 'anytime' of the day, almost always - in this context - implies that the person is almost here, arriving, coming, "any minute now" she will open the door..
Friswing or any other mates, could you please let me know svenska sentence order, comprehensively?
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Sorry, but since it is my native language I don't have 'comprehensive rules'. I just feel when it is 'right'. And Swedish word order is kind of a hugh subject. In one way almost any order is possible, but there are rules you just can't break, etc. One rule, though, is: Keep the conjugated verb in the second place. e.g. Hon kommer nu (subject+verb+adverb). But it is just as fine to say Nu kommer hon (Adverb+verb+subject) - as long as the verb is kept 2nd.
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I wrote a post about it here, but it's pretty long: https://www.duolingo.com/comment/8970470 It does have headers though so you can read about the parts that are most relevant.
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mark it as an error 'cause I'm pretty sure that's right. The point of the beta is for us to find things like this :)
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This should be accepted; the sentence has not been changed for the last 6 months and that option has been there all along. If you're not getting "She's coming at any time" accepted here, please post a screenshot so we can report it to Duo.
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Could this sentence have the implication, "She comes whenever she wants"? Maybe like someone who comes to class only when they feel like it, or a manager who could drop in to check on you at any time?
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Logically yes, but then I would change the verb, since 'kommer' is present as in near future, we have this feeling that she is coming any minute. If I am uncertain about when this sneeky person will appear I would say: "Hon kan komma (dyka upp) när som helst, utan förvarning". Kan komma = with the modal verb can/could. 'Dyka upp' = appear. 'Utan förvarning' = without warning (notice).
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Kommer = near future. Very useful distinction. That should probably be in the description. Your example is very clear. Thank you.
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People who come only 'when they feel like it', I would rather say 'dyker upp lite hur som helst', HUR shows that it is a question of 'how' she does it, not 'when' she arrives.
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Hi, quick question on how this is pronounced; at normal speed, som is pronounced with a "sh" sound but when slowed down it's just pronounced "som". Do words beginning with 's' generally gain a "sh" sound after a word ending in r?
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That is going to be a rule it takes me a very long time to remember, I'm afraid :(
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I don't think you have to remember it - it is just something that 'happens' when pronounced fast, being the easiest way to go fast from R to S. And it will never be wrong to give the slower variant, separating r and s. Some dialects, like the Finno-Swedish DO separate them, i.e. don't get this 'sh'-sound.
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I hope you're right. I'm still having trouble getting used to the letter 'k' being pronounced as 'sh', as in "kött". :\
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'soft K' (sh) happens before soft vowels = e, i, y, ä, ö. Good luck!
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By "soft vowels", it looks like you mean "front vowels" - i.e. those that are articulated toward the front of the mouth. Would this be correct?
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Not really, Ä and Ö is really pronounced in the back. We have also 'hard vowels' = A, O, U, Å. Of these U is articulated in the front, really by the lips. I'm not sure how to categorize it. Maybe it is because the hard vowels are 'round' (round lips) and have an open oral cavity , while the soft ones are more compressed by the tongue ... sort of :-) ... Sorry I can't explain. But if you note hard vs. soft vowel-groups you might notice a system
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Perhaps high vs low would be the correct distinction, then? Now that I see more of the listing, this seems to fit.
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I agree with friswing, also I think that you don't have to focus on this too much, you are going to get used to it by time
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När som helst or similar phrases with som helst had to me a connotation that the subject somehow has chosen to behave a certain way. Like in English, she comes whenever she wants (she is choosing the time she comes). But in this sentence it seems to mean something objective not dependent on the subject, like in she comes anytime soon (which means that we do not know when she is coming but probably soon). Can this sentence be interpreted in both ways or one is preferable?
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I entered "She is coming at any time now." The addition of "now" completes the idiom -- at least in American English. It's certainly something I'm used to. I think it should be accepted.