Mission—Team—FAQ—Privacy—Terms—Sponsors—Grammar—Typing Course—Donate

© 2026 Elon Automation B.V.

Learn Hardcore Swedish: Kungen har en gammal bil. - The king has an old car.

Hardcore Swedish
/Checking a used car before buying it
/Kungen har en gammal bil.

Kungen har en gammal bil.

Kungen har en gammal bil.

The king has an old car.

Breakdown of Kungen har en gammal bil.

Questions & Answers about Kungen har en gammal bil.

Why does kungen end in -en?

Because kungen is the definite form of kung, meaning the king.

In Swedish, the definite article is often attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.

kung = king
kungen = the king

So Kungen har en gammal bil starts with The king.

Why is there en before gammal bil?

En here is the indefinite article, meaning a or an.

en bil = a car
bilen = the car

So:

Kungen har en gammal bil = The king has an old car
If it were Kungen har gamla bilen, that would mean something like The king has the old car, which is different.

Why is it gammal and not gamla or gammalt?

The form of the adjective depends on the noun it describes.

Bil is an en-word (common gender), singular, and indefinite, so the adjective takes its basic form:

en gammal bil = an old car

Compare:

ett gammalt hus = an old house
gamla bilar = old cars
den gamla bilen = the old car

So gammal is correct because bil is singular, common gender, and indefinite.

kungen

the king

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Swedish grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Swedish now

How do I know that bil is an en-word?

You usually learn Swedish nouns together with their article:

en bil = a car

That tells you bil is a common gender noun, not a neuter noun.

This matters because it affects:

the article: en / ett
adjective forms: gammal / gammalt
definite forms: bilen

So it is best to memorize nouns as complete units, for example:

en bil
ett hus
en kung

Why is the word order Kungen har en gammal bil?

This is the normal Swedish word order for a simple statement:

subject + verb + object

Kungen = subject
har = verb
en gammal bil = object

So:

Kungen har en gammal bil = The king has an old car

This is similar to English in a basic sentence.

A useful extra point: Swedish is a V2 language, which means the verb is usually in the second position in main clauses. In this sentence, that rule is satisfied naturally because the subject comes first.

Why is har the same no matter who the subject is?

In modern Swedish, verbs usually do not change according to the subject the way they do in English.

So:

jag har = I have
du har = you have
han har = he has
kungen har = the king has
vi har = we have

This is simpler than English, where you have have but also has.

Can gammal come before the noun like in English?

Yes. In Swedish, adjectives usually come before the noun, just like in English.

en gammal bil = an old car
ett stort hus = a big house
en röd bok = a red book

So gammal bil follows the normal Swedish pattern.

Why is there no separate word for the before kungen?

Because Swedish often puts the definite meaning on the end of the noun instead.

So instead of using a separate word like English the, Swedish often uses a suffix:

kung = king
kungen = the king
bil = car
bilen = the car

However, when there is an adjective with a definite noun, Swedish often uses both a separate determiner and a definite ending:

den gamla bilen = the old car

So Swedish definite structure is not exactly the same as English.

How would this sentence change if it meant The king has the old car?

Then you would say:

Kungen har den gamla bilen.

Here is why:

den = the (used with common gender singular nouns in this pattern)
gamla = adjective form used in the definite phrase
bilen = the car

So the full definite noun phrase is:

den gamla bilen = the old car

This is a very common Swedish pattern: den/det/de + adjective + definite noun

How is Kungen har en gammal bil pronounced?

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker is:

KOONG-en har en GAM-mal beel

A few notes:

kungen has a ng sound like in English sing
gammal has two syllables: GAM-mal
bil has a long i sound, roughly like beel
har is pronounced more like haar than English hair

Pronunciation varies somewhat by region, but this approximation is good for a learner.

Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io