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Questions & Answers about Morgonen är lång.
What does morgonen mean, and why does it have the -en ending?
Morgonen means the morning. In Swedish, nouns can appear either in an indefinite form (like en morgon for "a morning") or in a definite form. Instead of using a separate word for the definite article (such as the in English), Swedish adds a suffix. Here, -en is the definite suffix for common-gender nouns, showing that the noun refers to a specific morning.
What is the role of är in this sentence?
Är is the present tense form of the verb att vara (to be). It functions as a linking verb that connects the subject (morgonen) to the adjective (lång), effectively equating them, much like the English verb is in the sentence "The morning is long."
How is the sentence Morgonen är lång structured?
The sentence follows a straightforward Swedish structure: subject (morgonen), followed by the verb (är), and finally the predicate adjective (lång). This order, which resembles the English Subject-Verb-Adjective pattern, makes the sentence relatively simple to understand and mirrors common English sentence construction.
Why is the adjective lång left in its basic form without any additional endings?
When an adjective is used predicatively—after a linking verb like är—it remains in its base form in Swedish. Although adjectives might receive inflections when placed before a noun (attributive use) to agree in gender, number, and definiteness, such inflection isn’t necessary when the adjective follows the verb. Hence, lång stays unchanged in this sentence.
How does this sentence illustrate the Swedish method of expressing definiteness compared to English?
In English, the definite article "the" is an independent word placed before the noun. Swedish, however, usually indicates definiteness with a suffix attached directly to the noun. In this sentence, morgonen is the definite form of en morgon. This unique method—adding -en to show that a noun is definite—is a key grammatical feature that distinguishes Swedish from English.