Page:A simplified grammar of the Swedish language.djvu/70

52 Nej,  är sjuk, 'Have you seen the councillor ? No, he is ill.'

In a simple affirmative sentence the verb follows its subject, with which it agrees in number and person; as, min moder gaf tjenaren brefvet, 'my mother gave the servant the letter;' hans fader och broder hafva (ha) afrest, 'his father and brother have gone away.'

In secondary and interrogative sentences, the verb precedes its subject; as, De sista åren af Gustafs regering förflöto i ro, ett krig med Ryssland, 'The last years of the reign of Gustavus passed in peace, if we except a war with Russia.' Kommer icke soldaten här? 'Is the soldier not coming here ?'

Where the sentence begins with an adverb, the verb precedes its subject; as, derpå begaf han sig till generalen, 'thereupon he betook himself to the general.'

The indicative present is used to express a certain or conditional future as well as a mere present; as, min son kommer i afton, 'my son will come this evening;' kommer han, så går jag icke, 'if he should come, I will not go.'

This tense is also used instead of the preterite or imperfect, to express a continued action at a past period; as, jag bor i Stockholm sedan min ungdom, 'I have lived in Stockholm from my youth upwards.'

On the other hand, the preterite is sometimes used in cases where in English the indicative present is employed; as, det var liistig! 'that's a good joke!'