15 Comments
but this couldn't mean "we commit all crimes sometimes"? right. like sometimes we commit every crime. it makes more sense to say "Vi alla begår brott ibland'
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Yes, it could mean 'We commit all crimes sometimes', and that is an accepted answer, but it's not a very good one – just like in English, we'd be much more likely to express this in a clearer way if we really wanted to say it. Like alla möjliga brott 'all kinds of crime' or something like that.
The reason we don't say Vi alla begår brott is that we want the verb to be in second place in all sentences that are not questions or subclauses. Read more about word order here: https://www.duolingo.com/comment/8970470
You could claim that it would still be V2 if you view Vi alla as one unit. I think native speakers are divided on this: I wouldn't use Vi alla that way, it sounds old-fashioned to me, but some might.
I think you could find a way around it with word order,something like Vi begår ibland alla brott.I don't know,however,i'm not Swedish.That would probably mean that we commit all crimes sometimes,although i don't think anyone would say a sentence like that anyway.
But you can't translate literally word for word,you should always use the given order.You can find some info on word order in Swedish and it'll be much clearer once you've read it.It is my understanding that the action always comes before, i.e. Jag äter aldrig fläsk (I never eat pork) ,and not Jag aldrig äter fläsk
I think the correct way to say this sentence would be 'Alla begår ett brott ibland' or 'Ibland begår alla ett brott'. I think it's important to make the distinction between a crime (singular) and crimes (plural). A native speaker is also not likely to say both vi and alla as we is implied in all.
- 17
The given translation "We all commit crime at times" sounds wrong to me, because I feel "crime" in this context functions as a countable noun. I'd expect "We all commit crimeS at times" (plural) or "We all commit A crime at times". What do you think? I realize it can work as a mass noun elsewhere, e.g.: "Crime has decreased since then."
I just saw this and thought of this sentence. It is a bit related, even though they never say this particular sentence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yUwdv1sN30
N.B. This requires a rather high level in Swedish listening comprehension
- 1406
Thanks for that link, Anrui.
To everyone who can't view the video because it is blocked, here's another link that works: https://www.facebook.com/Humorsajten/videos/906185762789427/
This doesn't refer to the crimes, but to the pronoun. All of us commit crimes sometimes.
This is such a strange sentence. :) I don't think you're saying all people are murderers or worse but I guess in the respect of stealing a pen from the office or not signaling when you change lanes I guess it can be true...
So I looked up the etymology and find that brott is related to breaking, as in mining as in breaking the rock, or a crime as in breaking the law. It's very reasonable to say that "We all break the law from time to time." We do. We speed, we jaywalk, etc. But in the US there's a clear distinction between such errors and actual crimes > felonies. It is the difference between a parking ticket and murder. Both involve breaking of laws, but only one is considered a crime. Making that distinction might lead to a less disturbing translation.
