17 Comments
So this is not a case where the Swedes use the past tense to talk about the present?
Sorry, I had in mind an earlier example where something like "Det var inte bra" was translated as a present, and the explanation given was that it softened the criticism.
Actually I thought it was exactly the same so I put it in present. That's tricky ha ha
While I couldn't find the discussion where past tense was used to talk about the present, this was linked to explain it: http://www.sprakochfolkminnen.se/sprak/sprakradgivning/frageladan.html?url=-27634753%2Fcgi-bin%2Fsrfl%2Fvisasvar.py%3Fsok%3Dvar%26svar%3D37980sv.url=12.c17e514db30bb2a810ea
I'll copy what it says if the link doesn't work:
Fråga:
Varför säger vi ofta Det här var gott och inte Det här är gott?
Svar:
Sådan här användning av preteritum (dåtid) kallas i Svenska Akademiens grammatik för modifierande preteritum. Det förekommer mest i talspråk. Preteritum uppfattas alltså som ett mer försiktigt och hövligt tempus än presens, som skulle kunna göra ett alltför rättframt intryck: Det var väldigt vad du var fin i håret, Fanns det möjligen en enkrona?, Det var en sak jag måste tala med dig om, Det var värst etc. Samma språkbruk med förmildrande preteritum finns i många andra språk.
Ibland är preteritum uttryck för ett slags psykologiska tidsperspektiv. Man tänker sig tillbaka i tiden något, som om det som kommenteras (delvis) redan inträffat eller åtminstone om ett ögonblick kommer att vara en del av dåtiden. Det här var gott, Vem stod på tur?, Jag hade glömt hur roligt det var att simma.
So, why does that not apply to this sentence? Plus, I would say "the pleasure is mine", even if it referred to something that happened recently in the past.
Actually, I got this messed up too, by putting "The pleasure is mine" because in English, I have never heard someone say, "The pleasure was mine." But maybe that's just me or where I live.
"The pleasure was mine" is common, and feels very polite, but what popped into my mind next was the sarcastic, "Oh, the pleasure was ALL mine." {with rolled eyes} ;-)
As to tense, one might say "The pleasure IS mine" as a response when meeting someone, and "The pleasure WAS mine" when leaving them. But I think that's splitting hairs on my part.
I agree with Yeblick: I have never heard "The pleasure WAS mine" in England. It's such an unnatural thing to say - you express pleasure at the time, not later. Every single time I do this sentence, I automatically put it into the English present!
I have - when meeting someone for the first time e.g. being introduced at a party and after a good conversation taking leave of each other and one saying "it was great to meet you!" And the other saying "the pleasure was all mine!"
is it common to say in swedish? and isn't it better to use it in the present form instead of the past?
835
The set phrase is rather 'Nöjet var helt på min sida' (the pleasure was all mine, literally: on my side) but that does sound a bit formal.
Yes. You could also say "nöjet var på min sida" (lit. The please was on my side)
