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Questions & Answers about Hunden är säker i huset.
What does Hunden mean in this sentence?
Hunden is the definite form of hund (“dog”) in Swedish. Instead of a separate word for “the,” Swedish adds a suffix (‑en in this case) to the noun, so hund becomes hunden, meaning “the dog.”
How does the verb är function in this sentence?
Är is the present tense of the verb vara (“to be”). It acts as the linking verb, connecting the subject (Hunden) with the predicate that describes its state, which is säker.
What does the adjective säker mean, and why does it appear in its basic form here?
Säker means “safe” or “secure.” In this sentence, it functions as a predicate adjective describing the dog’s state. In Swedish, when adjectives are used after a linking verb (i.e., predicatively), they typically remain in their basic, uninflected form regardless of the noun's gender or number.
How is the location indicated by i huset translated and structured in Swedish?
I huset translates to “in the house.” Here, i is the preposition meaning “in,” and huset is the definite form of hus (“house”). The suffix on hus indicates definiteness, so like hund becomes hunden, hus becomes huset.
How does Swedish handle the concept of definiteness compared to English?
Unlike English, where the definite article “the” is a separate word, Swedish expresses definiteness by adding a suffix to the noun. For example, hund becomes hunden (“the dog”) and hus becomes huset (“the house”). This is a key feature of Swedish grammar regarding noun definiteness.
How would you form the negative version of this sentence in Swedish?
To form the negative version, you insert inte (meaning “not”) after the verb. The negative sentence becomes: Hunden är inte säker i huset, which translates to “The dog is not safe in the house.”