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[QANDA] Går ut på - 2 use-cases

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Basler Biker
Switzerland

[QANDA] Går ut på - 2 use-cases

Post by Basler Biker »

Good question from Will709432 on Duolingo : what is the meaning in this sentence:
Kaninhoppning går ut på att en kanin ska ta sig igenom en bana med hinder.
Also discussed in the sentence "Erbjudandet går ut på onsdag." (see below)

Kaninhoppning går ut på att en kanin ska ta sig igenom en bana med hinder.
In the context of (mostly) a sport, "går ut på" is followed by an explanation of the goal, what needs to be done, to be achieved, what it's all about.

douglasromare explains it on Duolingo (exact quote)
Hej!

"Går ut på" would likely be translated as "is about" in most contexts. "Går ut på" could also mean "walks out onto" (or something of that sort) if one was to consider the three words' individual meanings, but when used in the way your book does, it is idiomatic. It is generally pretty ubiquitous in Swedish, for the record.

The sentence is definitely awkward if you translate it word-for-word. "Rabbit jumping is about that a rabbit will go through a course with obstacles" is absolutely an ill-formed sentence. Of course, a translator would not translate it like that, but in Swedish, the sentence is completely well-formed and undoubtedly correct.

The sentence you propose as an alternative is not necessarily incorrect, but most Swedes would use "går ut på" instead of "handlar om" when talking about a sport, such as in this case. Both "går ut på" and "handlar om" certainly mean "is about" (the second one more directly so, too) but although they may be used interchangeably in some cases, which one most Swedes would use is determined by the subject preceding it. Whereas "går ut på" is more likely to be used when the subject is a sport or a board game, for example, "handlar om" would be used when speaking about a movie, book, or something of that nature. Lastly, the use of "att" and "ska" around "en kanin" is necessary in both examples for the sentence to be well-formed.

My grammar and linguistics knowledge of Swedish is limited to Upper Secondary School, so anyone who has more of an explanation to provide, feel free to do so. Otherwise, I hope this answered the question somewhat, and good luck with your learning!

skalpadda explained it on Duolingo (exact quote)
Yeah thinking about it as idiomatic is the way to go I think, because the individual words don't even make proper sense in Swedish. When speaking about a sport or other activity it's basically just a phrase used to indicate that the following is a brief description of the purpose of it and how it is done.

Fotboll | går ut på att | två lag kämpar om att sparka in en boll i varandras mål.

I would translate that as "The purpose of football is that two teams struggle to kick a ball into each others' goals." But you could also say "The way football is played is that two teams struggle to kick a ball into each others' goals."

I can't come up with a translation that means exactly the same thing.

Ida794718 explained it on Duolingo (exact quote)
I would translate:
”Kaninhoppning går ut på att en kanin ska ta sig igenom en bana med hinder” more or less like:
*The purpose of rabbit jumping/agility is to make the rabbit jump through a track of obsticles.”

It’s not the exakt translation word for word since The purpose of- Ändamålet av but I think it explains what the sentiment of the wording Går ut på means.

Timla177 explained it on Duolingo (exact quote)
Many excellent comments already. I would just add that "går ut på" also could mean something along the lines of "the goal of... is". And I want to comment on your modified sentence at the end.

Kaninhoppning går ut på... -> The goal of rabbit jumping is...

En kanin ska ta sig igenom... -> A rabbit should get through... (ta sig igenom more literally would be -> take him-/her-/itself through)

en bana med hinder -> a course with obstacles (an obstacle course).

So the full sentence would be something like:

The goal of rabbit jumping is that a rabbit should get through a course with obstacles.

Now, about what you wrote: "Kaninhoppning handlar om en kanin ta sig igenom en bana med hinder" it's not fully grammatically correct, and sounds a little bit odd.

Handlar -> is about, but is related to "handling" which is "story / plot". It can be used like this too, but it doesn't sound quite right to me personally.

The grammar I want to point out is that something is missing between "...handlar om (1) en kanin (2) ta sig igenom..."

(1) First I am missing an "att" here, but not if you are describing the plot of a book/movie.

(2) Here I am missing an "ska" (will / should), just like in the original sentence. If you want to describe the plot, I would add "som ska" (who will / who should).

So as an example if we change the "Kaninhoppning" into "Boken" and use your modified sentence:

Boken handlar om en kanin som ska ta sig igenom en bana med hinder. This is a correct sentence saying "The book is about a rabbit who should get through an obstacle course".

I hope this made sense :)

Also discussed in the sentence "Erbjudandet går ut på onsdag."

discussion is about "does the offer go public on Wednesday, or does it expire on Wednesday

PontusKihl explains on Duolingo (exact quote)
'Går ut' in the meaning of 'runs out' or 'ends' is purely a Swedish cultural thing. Swedish soeakers in Finland would say 'tar slut' to mean 'ends'. The more correct translation is 'goes out' (as in 'sent out'). Both should be accepted.

-Jon-Snow- asked on Duolingo (exact quote)
But does 'gå ut' actually mean 'expires' (as in 'run out') or is he right that it's more about the moment when the offer goes out (to the public)?

develanteriel answered on Duolingo (exact quote)
It can mean either, but without context this would without a doubt be interpreted as "expires" virtually every time by Sweden Swedish speakers.


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