Breakdown of Basisten berättar skämtet före repetitionen.
berätta
to tell
före
before
repetitionen
the rehearsal
basisten
the bass player
Questions & Answers about Basisten berättar skämtet före repetitionen.
Why does basist become basisten?
Because Swedish usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.
- basist = bassist / bass player
- basisten = the bassist
So Basisten berättar skämtet... means The bassist tells the joke...
The ending -en is a very common definite ending for en-words in Swedish.
Why is it berättar and not berätta?
Berättar is the present tense form of the verb berätta.
- att berätta = to tell
- berättar = tells / is telling
In a main clause, Swedish needs a finite verb, just like English does:
- Basisten berättar... = The bassist tells...
The infinitive berätta would only be used after something like att or another verb:
- Basisten vill berätta... = The bassist wants to tell...
Why is it skämtet instead of just skämt?