Breakdown of Vi har en stor trädgård bakom huset, där vi planterar blommor.
ha
to have
stor
big
huset
the house
en
a
vi
we
trädgården
the garden
bakom
behind
plantera
to plant
blomman
the flower
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Questions & Answers about Vi har en stor trädgård bakom huset, där vi planterar blommor.
Why does the adjective stor remain in its base form in en stor trädgård?
In Swedish, when an adjective describes an indefinite singular common gender noun (as in en trädgård), it is used in its uninflected base form. Adjectives only take an ending when the noun is definite or in other specific contexts. Here, stor remains unchanged because trädgård is indefinite.
Why is the noun huset written with the suffix -et instead of simply hus?
Swedish forms the definite singular of neuter nouns by adding the suffix -et. Since hus (house) is a neuter noun, huset means "the house". This suffix effectively replaces a separate definite article.
What is the function of the preposition bakom in this sentence, and why is it placed after en stor trädgård?
The preposition bakom means "behind" and provides spatial information. It follows the noun phrase en stor trädgård to indicate that the garden is located behind the house. This postmodifier position is typical in Swedish, where prepositional phrases describing location come after the noun they modify.
How does the clause där vi planterar blommor function within the sentence?
The clause där vi planterar blommor adds extra information about the garden by indicating the location where the action—planting flowers—takes place. The word där acts as a relative adverb equivalent to "where" in English, linking the clause to the noun trädgård.
Why is där used to introduce the relative clause instead of a relative pronoun like som?
In Swedish, där is preferred when the relative clause provides locative information, as it directly means "where". Although som can be used as a relative pronoun, it does not inherently convey location. Hence, där clearly ties the act of planting flowers to the garden's setting.
Why is there a comma before där vi planterar blommor in the sentence?
The comma separates the main clause from the relative clause, signaling that the information about planting flowers is additional, non-essential detail. This punctuation is common in Swedish to enhance clarity by delineating supplementary clauses from the main statement.