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- "Hon kommer när som helst."
60 Comments
2453
Usually, in this kind of sentence 'när som helst' has the meaning of 'any minute now' = very soon.
- 2453
Using only 'soon' does not give the feeling of how soon 'när som helst' means. Soon translates 'snart'.
What do each of the words in this sentence mean and how exactly does it fit together?
- 2453
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 corresponding concepts in: VARSOMHELST (Wherever), 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?
- 2453
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.
- 1451
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.
Wow. Thank you so much for that explanation. It really helped a lot. I will invest a lingot in your comment.
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 :)
- 1451
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.
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?
- 2453
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).
Kommer = near future. Very useful distinction. That should probably be in the description. Your example is very clear. Thank you.
- 2453
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.
- 198
Just curious, does kommer also carry the same secondary sexual meaning as "come" in English?
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?
That is going to be a rule it takes me a very long time to remember, I'm afraid :(
- 2453
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.
- 128
I hope you're right. I'm still having trouble getting used to the letter 'k' being pronounced as 'sh', as in "kött". :\
- 2453
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
- 128
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?
- 128
Perhaps high vs low would be the correct distinction, then? Now that I see more of the listing, this seems to fit.
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
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?
- 198
Unless you're talking about orgasms, and even then it's a stretch "she comes at any time" is a really weird sentence no English speaker would ever say. It would more likely be "she will be here any minute" or "she will be ready any minute".
"My mother in law does not respect our family's privacy: she comes at any time." "You can't control when the cat eats because she comes at any time." "She comes at any time and goes at any time. " "She comes to dinner with you twice a week; in the evening she comes at any time." (You can also ask Google for more examples of that literal quote from books and articles.)
- 198
All grammatically correct. And I would still maintain no-one would say any of those. They all unnatural.
The first you would be more likely to say "she comes in without knocking" or "she might walk in at any time". The second you would be more likely to say "she comes and goes as she pleases" The third you would be more likely to say something like "but she might arrive at any time" or "she comes at different times"
This translation the question gives us is unnatural.
May I please have an example sentence in which 'helst' is used as 'rather'?
I know this is an old question, but in case anyone else is interested...
"Helst inte" = "I'd rather not".
- 462
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.
that's not what he said (no I'm not actually 12 i just act like it sometimes)
Not traditionally, but it's a fairly common misspelling, to the extent that it can be considered correct but not preferrable today.
I think you should scrap this phrase and start again. Both parts of the sentence can be translated in many, many ways in English with slightly different meanings.
"Hon kommer" could be she is arriving, she arrives, she comes, she is coming, she will arrive, she could arrive, she could be here, etc. To come (arrive) is most often used as an intransitive verb (she is coming to or from somewhere). Used as a transitve verb (without a preposition - she comes) it easily takes on a sexual connotation.
När som helst could be translated as whenever, at any time, at any moment, any moment now, any minute etc.
Combine this into a sentence, "Hon kommer när som helst" and there are probably dozens of common English translations. So if what's being tested here is "när som helst" I suggest using a sentence less prone to variation. Maybe "Hon äter när som helst hon vill" or something like that?
I keep getting marked down for this question because I can't bring myself to answer, "She comes at any time", which is very wrong. It is not idiomatic English. The only possible situation I can imagine using this exact sentence is if I was describing a woman with a strange neurological disorder that caused her to spontaneously orgasm at unpredictable intervals.
- 2453
I understand you, 'She comes at any time', sounds very odd. Unfortunately your sentence is not possible either. It would have to be 'Hon äter när (helst) hon vill' - without 'som', and preferably not 'helst' either, because it sounds to much of a dated written language. -- I prefer translating it as: "She comes/will come any moment now"
Agreed that my Swedish sentence was not quite right. I've seen a few other questions on Duolingo using när som helst that translated fairly easily into English. This one just doesn't.
I think "She will arrive any moment now" would be perfect. The other answers should be 'pass marks' but should not be listed as the default answer. I know that undermines the simple equation of kommer=come but in this case I think arrive is a more direct translation for that meaning and minimises ambiguity.
