huruvida

Huruvida is a conjunction in Swedish that introduces indirect questions or clauses expressing doubt, possibility, or necessity. It translates roughly as “whether” or “if” and is common in formal, legal, academic, or journalistic writing. In ordinary speech, speakers usually prefer om rather than huruvida.

Etymology: The word huruvida is a compound of huru ("how") and vida, and it dates back to Early Modern Swedish. Today it retains a formal or archaic tone, often found in official or literary contexts.

Usage: Huruvida is used to present a proposition whose truth is uncertain or to discuss competing possibilities. It is placed before a clause: “Det är oklart huruvida lagen är tillämplig i denna situation.” It can also appear in questions: “Jag frågade huruvida han tänkte delta.” More generally, it introduces indirect questions or hypotheses: “Vi måste bedöma huruvida projektet är genomförbart.” In many contexts, especially casual writing or speech, om is preferred for simplicity.

Register and style: Huruvida is considered formal, juridical, or literary. It is less common in everyday conversation and contemporary journalism, where a more neutral or straightforward construction is typically chosen. Choosing huruvida can subtly affect tone, marking a text as more formal or traditional.