Jag gillar den här boken.

I

Breakdown of Jag gillar den här boken.

• gilla: to like
• boken: the book
• den här: this

Questions & Answers about Jag gillar den här boken.

What does each word mean in the sentence "Jag gillar den här boken"?

• Jag means I.
• Gillar is the present tense of the verb att gilla, meaning to like.
• Den här is a demonstrative phrase meaning this (used with common gender nouns).
• Boken is the definite form of bok (book), equivalent to the book.

Why is the noun “bok” presented as “boken” when it’s already preceded by the demonstrative “den här”?

In Swedish, when a noun is modified by a demonstrative like den här ("this"), the noun must appear in its definite form. The base noun bok becomes boken by adding the definite suffix -en. Essentially, the combination emphasizes that you are talking about a specific, known book (“this book”).

How do I decide whether to use “den här” or “det här” when referring to something?

Swedish demonstrative pronouns agree with the gender of the noun they modify. For common gender nouns (typically those that take the indefinite article en), you use den här (“this”). For neuter nouns (those that take ett), you use det här. Since bok is a common gender noun (an en-word), den här boken is correct.

What is the function of the verb “gillar” in this sentence, and how is it conjugated?