Mottagningen är bra trots den svaga signalen.

The reception is good despite the weak signal.

Breakdown of Mottagningen är bra trots den svaga signalen.

• vara: to be
• bra: good
• den: the
• trots: despite

Questions & Answers about Mottagningen är bra trots den svaga signalen.

What does mottagningen mean here?

Here, mottagningen means the reception, in the sense of signal reception or how well a signal is received.

That is important because mottagning can also mean other things in Swedish, such as:

• a reception desk / front desk
• a clinic / outpatient department
• a reception in an event-related sense in some contexts

In this sentence, because of signalen, it clearly means signal reception.

Why is it mottagningen and not just mottagning?

Because Swedish is using the definite form: the reception, not just reception in general.

• mottagning = reception
• mottagningen = the reception

Swedish often adds the definite article as a suffix at the end of the noun.

So:

• en mottagning = a reception
• mottagningen = the reception

Why is är bra used here? Is that the normal way to say is good?