Breakdown of Min bror spelar fotboll varje helg med sina vänner.
min
my
helgen
the weekend
med
with
varje
every
vännen
the friend
brodern
the brother
spela
to play
sina
his
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Questions & Answers about Min bror spelar fotboll varje helg med sina vänner.
What is the literal English translation of Min bror spelar fotboll varje helg med sina vänner?
“Min bror” means my brother, “spelar” means plays, “fotboll” means football/soccer, “varje” means every, “helg” means weekend, and “med sina vänner” means with his friends. So the full translation is: My brother plays football/soccer every weekend with his friends.
Why is the reflexive possessive sina used in this sentence instead of hans?
In Swedish, when the possessor is the subject of the clause, a reflexive possessive pronoun (sin/sitt/sina) is used rather than a third-person possessive like hans (his) or hennes (her). Here, because Min bror (my brother) is the subject and the one who owns the friends, sina correctly indicates that the friends belong to him.
Why is there no article before fotboll in the sentence?
In Swedish—as in English—the names of sports are typically used without an article. Just as we say "play football" or "play soccer" without a preceding "the", Swedish uses fotboll directly to refer to the sport in general.
How does this sentence demonstrate the Swedish verb-second (V2) rule?
Swedish main clauses usually require the finite verb to occupy the second position. In this sentence, Min bror is the first element, and spelar (the finite verb) follows immediately in the second position. This exemplifies the V2 word order, a common characteristic of Swedish sentence structure.
Why is min used instead of mitt with bror?
Swedish possessive pronouns agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Bror is a common gender noun, so min (meaning my) is used. Mitt would be incorrectly used with neuter nouns. Therefore, min bror is the proper form for my brother.
How is the present tense form of the verb spela constructed in this sentence?
The verb spela (to play) becomes spelar in the present tense. In Swedish, many regular verbs form the present tense by simply adding the ending -r to the infinitive. Thus, Min bror spelar correctly expresses “My brother plays”.