Hennes cykel är trasig.

Her bike is broken.

Breakdown of Hennes cykel är trasig.

• vara: to be
• hennes: her
• cykeln: the bike
• trasig: broken

Questions & Answers about Hennes cykel är trasig.

What does each word mean and how is the sentence structured?

• Hennes = “her” (possessive pronoun)
• cykel = “bike/bicycle” (a common gender/en-word noun)
• är = “is” (present tense of vara, “to be”)
• trasig = “broken” (adjective) Structure: Possessive + noun (the subject) + verb + predicative adjective.

Why is there no article like “en” or “the” in front of “cykel”?

In Swedish, a possessive pronoun replaces articles. You say hennes cykel, not “en cykel” or “cykeln” with a possessive. So no article and no definite ending appear on the noun when you have a possessive.

Why is “Hennes cykeln” wrong?

Because possessives and the noun’s definite ending don’t combine. With a possessive, the noun stays in its base (indefinite) form:

• Correct: hennes cykel
• Wrong: “hennes cykeln” Compare:
• With a definite article + adjective (no possessive): den trasiga cykeln
• With a possessive + adjective: hennes trasiga cykel (no “den,” no “-n” on the noun)

Can I start a sentence with “Sin cykel är trasig”?

No. Sin/sitt/sina are reflexive possessives and must refer to the subject of the same clause. Here, there’s no prior subject to anchor them to, so you use hennes. Examples:

• Hon lagar sin cykel. = She is fixing her own bike.
• Hon lagar hennes cykel. = She is fixing another woman’s bike.
• As a statement about “her bike”: Hennes cykel är trasig.

When do I use “hennes” versus “sin/sitt/sina”?

• Use hennes to mean “her,” regardless of the sentence’s subject.
• Use reflexive sin/sitt/sina when the possessor is also the subject of the clause. Examples:
• Hennes cykel är trasig. (we’re talking about “her” bike)
• Hon tvättar sin cykel. (she washes her own bike)
• Hon tvättar hennes cykel. (she washes someone else’s bike)

Does the adjective “trasig” change form?

Yes, it agrees with gender/number (not with definiteness in predicative position):

• en-word singular: trasig — Hennes cykel är trasig.
• ett-word singular: trasigt — Hennes hjul är trasigt.
• plural: trasiga — Hennes cyklar är trasiga. Attributively (before a noun), the definite/possessive context uses the -a form:
• den trasiga cykeln, hennes trasiga cykel

If the possessed noun is “definite in meaning,” why isn’t it “trasiga” here?

Predicate adjectives don’t take the definite -a just because the subject is definite. They vary only by gender/number:

• Bilen är röd. (en-word)
• Huset är rött. (ett-word)
• Bilarna är röda. (plural) Hence: Hennes cykel är trasig.

Can I use “sönder” instead of “trasig”?

Often, yes:

• Hennes cykel är sönder. (very idiomatic) Differences:
• trasig is a regular adjective; you can use it attributively: en trasig cykel.
• sönder is mostly used predicatively or in result phrases: Cykeln gick sönder (“the bike broke”). You typically don’t say “en sönder cykel.”

How do I say “has broken” versus “is broken”?

• State (result): Hennes cykel är trasig/sönder. = Her bike is broken.
• Event (it broke): Hennes cykel har gått sönder. = Her bike has broken.

How do I negate the sentence?

Put inte after the finite verb in a main clause:

• Hennes cykel är inte trasig. In a subordinate clause, inte comes before the verb:
• … att hennes cykel inte är trasig.

How do I turn it into a yes/no question?

Invert verb and subject:

• Är hennes cykel trasig?

What are the forms of the noun “cykel”?

• Indefinite singular: en cykel
• Definite singular: cykeln
• Indefinite plural: cyklar
• Definite plural: cyklarna

How do I say “Her bikes are broken”?

Hennes cyklar är trasiga.

What are the other possessives I might need?

• His: hans
• Her: hennes
• Gender-neutral (for person): hens
• Their: deras
• Its (for things/animals; formal-ish): dess
• Reflexive (subject’s own): sin/sitt/sina

Can the possessive come after the noun, like “cykeln hennes”?

It occurs in colloquial/regional speech (cykeln hennes), but standard Swedish prefers the preposed form: hennes cykel.

How do I emphasize “It’s her bike that is broken”?

Use a cleft:

• Det är hennes cykel som är trasig.

Any quick pronunciation tips?

• hennes: stress on the first syllable; both e’s like the short e in “bed.”
• cykel: stress on the first syllable; y is a front rounded vowel (like German “ü”); the initial c sounds like “s.”
• är: long open e-sound (not like English “are”).
• trasig: stress on the first syllable; final -ig often sounds like a light “-i” or “-y.”