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Questions & Answers about Hunden är lugn.
What is the structure of the sentence Hunden är lugn. in terms of subject, verb, and predicate?
In this sentence, Hunden is the subject (the noun in its definite form, meaning the dog), är is the linking verb (the present tense of att vara, which means is), and lugn is the predicate adjective describing the subject. The overall structure follows the typical Swedish pattern where the adjective remains uninflected after the verb.
Why doesn’t the adjective lugn have an ending even though hunden appears in its definite form?
In Swedish, adjectives used as predicate adjectives (that follow a linking verb) typically appear in their base form, regardless of whether the noun is definite or indefinite. When an adjective is placed before a noun (attributive position), it receives an inflected ending to match the noun’s definiteness and gender—such as in den lugna hunden for the calm dog. In our sentence, however, the adjective is used as a complement after the verb, so no additional ending is needed.
What does the ending -en in hunden indicate?
The suffix -en marks that the noun is in its definite singular form. Instead of placing a separate definite article (like the in English), Swedish attaches a suffix to the noun. Thus, hund means a dog while hunden means the dog.
What role does the verb är play, and what is its English equivalent?
The verb är is the present tense form of att vara, which translates to to be in English. It serves as a linking verb that connects the subject (hunden) with the predicate adjective (lugn), effectively stating that the dog is calm.
How would the sentence change if the adjective lugn were used attributively before the noun instead of as a predicate adjective?
If you use the adjective before the noun (attributively), the adjective must be inflected to agree with the noun. For instance, instead of saying Hunden är lugn., you could say En lugn hund for a calm dog (indefinite form), or Den lugna hunden for the calm dog (definite form). Notice that in the definite form, lugn changes to lugna to match the definiteness of hunden.