Wh-remnant ellipsis
Use a question word (like 'vem', 'vad', 'var') alone to ask a follow-up question when the context is clear, avoiding repeating the whole sentence.
How It Works
Sluicing is a type of ellipsis where an entire interrogative clause is omitted, leaving only the interrogative phrase (the 'wh-phrase'). This is a very common feature in both spoken and written Swedish to make language more efficient and avoid redundancy.
Structure:
The basic structure involves an antecedent clause which provides the context, followed by the sluiced construction.
- Antecedent: Någon ringde. (Someone called.)
- Sluice: Jag vet inte vem. (I don't know who.)
The full, un-elided sentence would be: "Någon ringde. Jag vet inte vem som ringde." The clause "som ringde" is omitted because its meaning is clear from the first sentence.
Usage:
Sluicing can occur in various contexts:
1. Embedded Questions: This is the most common form, where the sluice is part of a larger sentence.
- De ska resa någonstans, men de har inte bestämt vart. (They are going to travel somewhere, but they haven't decided where.)
2. Direct Questions: It's also very frequent in dialogue as a follow-up question.
- A: Jag köpte en present till dig. (I bought a present for you.)
- B: Vadå? (What? / What is it?)
Prepositions in Sluicing:
Sometimes, the wh-word is the object of a preposition in the elided clause. In Swedish, this preposition can either be moved to the front along with the wh-word (a phenomenon called 'pied-piping') or left at the end of the elided clause ('preposition stranding').
- Pied-piping (more formal): Han pratade med någon, men jag såg inte med vem. (He was talking with someone, but I didn't see with whom.)
- Stranding (more colloquial, implied): Han pratade med någon, men jag såg inte vem. (The implied full clause is "...vem han pratade med.")
Keeping the preposition can make the intended relationship explicit, but Swedish also permits its omission with the recoverable clause. Vem asks about a person and does not ambiguously ask which mistake was made.
Examples (5)
- Någon tog min cykel, men jag vet inte vem.
Someone took my bike, but I don't know who.
Word by Word: Someone took my bike, but I know not who.
Here, 'vem' stands for the full elided clause 'vem som tog min cykel'. The repetition is avoided.
- Han sa något viktigt, men jag glömde bort vad.
He said something important, but I forgot what.
Word by Word: He said something important, but I forgot away what.
'vad' is the remnant of the clause 'vad han sa'. This is a very typical use of sluicing in an embedded question.
- Hon slutade plötsligt. Ingen förstår varför.
She quit suddenly. No one understands why.
Word by Word: She quit suddenly. No one understands why.
The interrogative adverb 'varför' replaces the full clause 'varför hon slutade plötsligt'.
- De diskuterade ett problem, men jag vet inte vilket.
They were discussing a problem, but I don't know which one.
Word by Word: They discussed a problem, but I know not which.
'vilket' stands for 'vilket problem de diskuterade'. The specific noun 'problem' is understood from the context.
- A: Jag ska åka på semester. B: Vart då?
A: I'm going on vacation. B: Where to?
Word by Word: A: I shall go on vacation. B: Where to then?
A common conversational use of sluicing. 'Vart då?' is a shortened form of the full question 'Vart ska du åka då?'.
Common Mistakes
Using a person question word when asking about a thing.
Hon nämnde ett problem, men jag vet inte vem.Hon nämnde ett problem, men jag vet inte vilket.For the intended question about the problem, use vilket (or vilket problem). Vem asks about a person. Omitting the preposition in ...arg på en kollega, men jag vet inte vem is not an error merely because a mistake is also mentioned.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand sluicing (wh-remnant ellipsis), you first need to be comfortable with Swedish question words and how they function in indirect questions. Since sluicing involves omitting the rest of a subordinate clause after a question word (e.g., 'Jag vet inte vad [han gjorde]'), you must understand the full clausal structures that are being shortened.
Related Patterns
- vadWhat
Sluicing very often involves question words. 'Vad' (what) is one of the most common remnants left after a clause is elided.
Level 1 - vemWho
Similar to 'vad', 'vem' (who) is a core component of many sluiced constructions, used when the unknown element is a person.
Level 1 - varWhere
'Var' (where), along with other question adverbs like 'när' (when) and 'hur' (how), are frequently used as the remaining part of a sluiced clause.
Level 1 - Subordinate clause word order
In an embedded example such as Jag vet inte vem, the expanded question normally has subordinate order: vem som ringde. A standalone follow-up such as Vem? is instead a direct question.
Level 3 - VP ellipsis after aux
This is another common type of ellipsis in Swedish where the main verb phrase is omitted, leaving only an auxiliary verb (e.g., 'Jag kan inte sjunga, men han kan.'). It's related to sluicing as both are grammatical strategies for avoiding repetition.
Level 5
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