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Questions & Answers about Hemmet är stort.
What does hemmet mean, and why does it end with -et?
Hemmet means "the home" or "the house" in English. In Swedish, the definite article is expressed by adding a suffix to the noun. Since hem is a neuter noun, the suffix -et is used to indicate that the noun is definite.
Why doesn’t the sentence use a separate word for “the” before hemmet?
Swedish expresses definiteness by modifying the noun itself rather than using a separate word like "the." The noun hem becomes hemmet with the suffix -et to show that it is definite. This built-in definite form eliminates the need for an extra article.
What function does the verb är serve in this sentence?
Är is the present tense of the verb vara, which means "to be." In the sentence, är acts as the linking verb that connects the subject hemmet with its descriptive predicate stort (big), functioning just like "is" in the English sentence "The home is big."
Why is the adjective stort used in its base form instead of being inflected?
In Swedish, adjectives used as predicate adjectives (after the verb är) are typically not inflected. They remain in their basic form. However, if the adjective were used attributively (directly before a noun), it would take an inflected form to agree with the noun’s gender, number, and definiteness (for example, "det stora hemmet" for "the big home").
Is the word order in Hemmet är stort similar to English, and are there any notable differences?
Yes, the word order in Hemmet är stort is similar to English, following a Subject-Verb-Adjective pattern (The home / is / big). While Swedish word order can vary for emphasis or in more complex sentences, in simple declarative sentences like this one the structure closely mirrors that of English.