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- "Vad skrattar du åt?"
80 Comments
There is actually no rule about ending English sentences with a preposition. At one time, an (unfortunately) influential writer coughJohnDrydencough felt that English should emulate Latin as closely as possible, despite the fact that, you know, it is a Germanic language with Romance loan words. Dryden was such a successful author, that many people sought to emulate him, despite the fact that his rule was artificial and arbitrary. We are still dealing with the nonsense of him and his ilk nigh on four hundred years later.
Please look at the first definition from merriam webster. Also look at the definition of pidgin - which is a çanguage used between two sets of people speaking unintelligible languages that is not spoken as a native tongue by either. Before you pontificate you might want to actually look up the definitions of the words you're using.
Det skulle vara trevligt om Pewds gjorde en "Lär dig svenska med PewDiePie" serie på YouTube. :-) En liten försmak här: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqqjm-Kqe_Q
1449
It's correct in formal Swedish too and we don't have this whole discourse about how it's supposedly wrong that you do in English.
(It still varies what you can do with which words, of course, you still cannot put just any preposition at the end of just any sentence).
It isn't really wrong, even in formal English, and never really was until a bunch of scholars decided to write an English grammar based on Latin. It's why we're saddled with things like "must use the nominative case (which we don't really have) after a linking verb such as is or feels. Germanic languages in general, which English is, allow prepositions at the end of a sentence.
Having just had a ding-dong elsewhere on Duolingo when I complained about ending a sentence with a preposition, I have to admit that this is by far the most natural and acceptable way of saying it. "At what are you laughing?" sounds excessively arch and formal to me, and I don't think Duoloingo needs to accept it. (I am probably going to be upbraided now for forcing my views on others.)
Ok i've come so far in Swedish,and even though i do pretty good,i have to admit that i don't understand Swedish vowels.To me it seems like there are some extra. When i have to write down what is said,sometimes i'll confuse the vowels,because they seem to be the same.
-Could someone explain how to pronounce each vowel ? For example å sounds a lot like ö,but i hear o sounds more like u (but not like english u which is unpure) -Another concern,˝y˝ can sound like I or U ?
If you or anyone else is still interested, here's a great video I found by a channel called "Academia Cervena". It's short, includes some technical jargon and very effective, I'd say. I watched it a few times and after practicing I can identify the different vowel sounds.
He also explains the situations in which certain vowels sound exactly the same (hopefully the link works; make sure to watch part 1 too!). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzYArZVTD4s
It's very hard to explain vowels in text. Swedish does have a relatively rich vowel inventory, with a few more than what English has. You can find examples of Swedish vowel sounds here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_phonology
1449
No, after prepositions you need the object form of du: Jag skrattar åt dig.
In English, 'you' happens to be the same in both cases, but if you reverse the roles, it would be You are laughing at me, not You are laughing at I in English, so it really works the same in both languages.
238
Even though both might be translated into "to" in English, they are different words with different usage and meaning.
"Att" is used before infinite verbs in sentences like "Jag kommer att vinna"="I am going to win". It can also be use as "that" in sentences like "Är det sant att jorden är rund" = "is it true that the earth is round".
"Åt" is a preposition that is usually translated to "to", "at" or "for", in the meaning "towards", "directed towards" or "as a favour for". "Sväng till höger"="Turn to the right", "Jag skrattar åt dig"="I'm laughing at you", "Jag städar åt dig"="I'm cleaning for you". Also the phrase "komma åt" means to "access" or "reach". "Jag kan inte komma åt internet" - "I can't access the Internet" (OMG!).
"Åt" is also the past tense of the verb "äta" ("Ate" / "to eat").
Are there other word for 'at'? I don't remember the word but i'm cocksure i saw another word for 'at'.
262
Again we end this sentence with a preposition. That simply is not good English. At what are you laughing? or What is so funny? are much better.
English isn't latin, which is where that rule arose. English here is a lot more like the Scandinavian languages, or German. Moreover, at is a particle here, basically part of a phrasal verb. To laugh and to laugh at have different meanings, just as to look, to look at and to look for have different meanings. In some languages, these are different words. In each case, the " preposition" actually functions to change the meaning of the verb, not to show location or direction. What's so funny is vad är det som är så kul.