Jag läser en stor bok.

I am reading a big book.

Breakdown of Jag läser en stor bok.

• jag: I
• stor: big
• läsa: to read
• en: a
• boken: the book

Questions & Answers about Jag läser en stor bok.

Why is Jag capitalized here? Is Jag always capitalized like "I" in English?

In Swedish, jag (meaning "I") is only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence or when it appears in a title, just like other standard words. It is not capitalized in the middle of a sentence the same way "I" is always capitalized in English.

What does en mean in this sentence, and does Swedish have different indefinite articles?

In Swedish, en is the indefinite article for common-gender nouns (often corresponding to "a" in English). There is also ett, which is used for neuter-gender nouns. You need to learn which nouns are en words and which are ett words.

Is läser strictly "read," or can it also mean "am reading"?

The verb läser can translate both as "read" or "am reading," because present tense in Swedish covers both simple present and present continuous in English. So Jag läser en stor bok can mean either "I read a big book" or "I am reading a big book."

Why do we say stor and not something else for "big"? Does the adjective change form?

Stor is the basic form of the adjective meaning "big" or "large" that matches an en noun. If the noun were an ett noun, you'd use stort, and with plural nouns, you would use stora.

How is Jag pronounced in everyday Swedish?

Many speakers of Swedish, especially in casual speech, often pronounce it closer to "ya" or "yaw," dropping the g. However, pronunciation can vary by dialect, and some people do include the g sound more distinctly.