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- Topic: Swedish >
- "Det finns bara på papperet."
42 Comments
1356
...except that 'This exists only in theory' is not accepted? Only 'That ...' is accepted.
There is a slight difference there.
- 1451
Yes, this means det här or detta whereas det can mean either it or that. (det där only means that).
Bit of a late comment, but 'This only exists in theory' is not always the same as 'This only exists on paper' in some dialects of English. At least here in the US Midwest, the 'in theory' version typically refers to something not being confirmed or to something that is only true in an idealized situation that ignores reality, while the 'on paper' version usually implies something has been designed but never implemented (for example, you have blueprints, but have never produced a prototype) but not necessarily that implementation is impossible (which is kind of implied by the 'in theory' version).
- 140
Because it is the definite form. The fact that this expression (on paper) uses a non-definite noun in English does not mean that every language has to work the same way.
I just got this question and it is in the definite form. But, the question just before it was the same statement in English, but the answer was in the indefinite form. So, the first time, it was papper the second time it was papperet. I came here looking for an explanation as to why it was acceptable in the definite and indefinite.
Papper = paper
Papperet = the paper
I guess "bara på papperet" is a fixed expression that means "only in theory" as well as "only on paper", and I think "only on THE paper" would sound strange and inappropriate in English, even though it is a literal translation.
Why is 'just' not interchangeable with 'only' here? The two are often synonymous in English, but is there a certain differentiation between the two in Swedish?
- 1451
We currently accept just in most combinations here, but not in It exists on paper only, where it seems just wouldn't work. What were you trying to write?
Looking back on it I think I didn't quite comprehend what the sentence was saying, I think I was trying to say, "It's just on the paper." I didn't realize this was a phrase or sort of a figure of speech. Sorry about that!
- 1451
No, because 'that' is treated as singular, it must be 'exists' with an 's'.
What you put could work as a subclause if there was something in front of it "They were talking about things that exist only on paper", (and it would be … som bara finns på papperet in Swedish) but it doesn't work on its own.
- 1451
(very late answer) That's supposed to be an accepted answer, I hope this was just a glitch.
If that happens again, we'd love a screenshot or an error report so we have something to give the developers. As Arnauti said, it's been accepted in the admin interface for several years.
Yes, the definite is the idiomatic option - and can use either of two spellings: papperet or pappret - but since the English is in the indefinite, we do accept that as well.
I was surprised that it accepted "It is only on the paper". I don't think that should be allowed, since it doesn't mean at all the same thing as "It only exists on paper". (But I think "It is only on paper" is fine. It's the "the" that seems wrong to me.)
I agree with you. It's pretty clear that the idiomatic expression is meant, and that never uses the definite in English. I'll remove that solution.
- 477
Why is it not possible to translate: "There is only on paper"? (reported)
Also "It is only on the paper" was not accepted.
Neither of those is idiomatic English, though. I'm not even sure what the first would mean.
- 477
Thank you, my first sentence lacked a "that". Would be "there is that only on paper" better and acceptable?
I do not like the verb "exists" in the given translation. Why is it not possible to translate: "It is only on paper" or "It is just on paper" without the definite article instead of the given English standard solution?
We do accept both "it is only on paper" and "it is just on paper". Actually, we try to accept as many feasible sentences as possible - 33 of them at the moment.
Hej~ just wondering if there's a difference between - Det finns bara & Det bara finns?
It only made sense when I thought of it as "It's JUST there on paper" like it can only be found on paper.
- 1394
For an expression like this suggested sentence to work in English, you would need a predicate nominative: "There is SOMETHING only on the paper," like coffee spilled and landed only on the paper. However, "det finns" can sometimes mean "it exists," and this lesson is about an imaginative idea, so "It exists only on paper." I have frequently heard this idea expressed as "It exists just on paper."
