Breakdown of Köket är rent nu, men golvet är fortfarande smutsigt.
vara
to be
nu
now
men
but
köket
the kitchen
fortfarande
still
ren
clean
golvet
the floor
smutsig
dirty
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Swedish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Köket är rent nu, men golvet är fortfarande smutsigt.
Why do Köket and golvet end in -et?
That’s the suffixed definite article for neuter (ett) nouns.
- ett kök → köket (the kitchen)
- ett golv → golvet (the floor) Swedish marks definiteness on the noun itself rather than with a separate “the.”
How do I know these are neuter nouns?
You have to learn the gender with each noun. Here:
- kök is neuter: ett kök
- golv is neuter: ett golv Their definite forms with -et confirm that.
Why are the adjectives rent and smutsigt ending in -t?
Predicative adjectives agree with the noun’s gender and number. With a singular neuter subject, you use the -t form:
- Köket är rent.
- Golvet är smutsigt. Base forms: ren–rent–rena, smutsig–smutsigt–smutsiga.
Would it ever be rena or smutsiga here?
Only with plural subjects:
- Golven är smutsiga.
- Köken är rena.
Why isn’t it det rena köket är...?
That’s the attributive pattern (adjective before a definite noun): det rena köket. After the verb är (predicative), the adjective does not take definiteness, only gender/number: Köket är rent (not “rena”).
Can I move nu to the front: Nu är köket rent?
Yes. That’s common and obeys Swedish V2 word order (finite verb in second position): Nu är köket rent. Sentence-final nu as in the original is also very natural.
Where does fortfarande go?
In main clauses it typically comes after the finite verb:
- Natural: Golvet är fortfarande smutsigt.
- Odd/wrong in a main clause: Golvet fortfarande är smutsigt.
What’s the difference between fortfarande, än, and ännu?
- fortfarande = still (neutral, very common): Golvet är fortfarande smutsigt.
- ännu = still/yet (more formal/literary): Golvet är ännu smutsigt.
- än is used mostly in negatives/“yet”: Golvet är inte rent än (= not clean yet).
Why is there a comma before men?
You’re connecting two independent clauses. Swedish style commonly uses a comma before coordinating conjunctions like men in such cases. You’ll also see it without a comma in less formal writing, but the comma is standard.
Could I use utan instead of men?
Only after a negation and when you mean “but rather”:
- Köket är inte rent, utan smutsigt. Here we want simple contrast, so men is correct.
Is rent ever an adverb like “really/completely”?
Yes. rent can intensify: Det är rent otroligt (= It’s absolutely incredible). In your sentence, rent is an adjective agreeing with kök.
What’s the nuance difference between rent and rengjort?
- rent describes the state (clean).
- rengjort (past participle) highlights the action/result of cleaning: Köket är rengjort (= has been cleaned). Both are fine; the first is more general.
Could I rephrase the second clause as Det är fortfarande smutsigt på golvet?
Yes. That’s idiomatic, avoids repeating golvet, and is very common in speech: “It’s still dirty on the floor.”
Any easy pronunciation tips?
- Köket: initial k before ö is the soft [ɕ]-like sound; ö is like French “eu.”
- nu: u is the Swedish fronted vowel [ʉː].
- smutsigt: the -igt ending is often pronounced like “-it.” Aim for “SMUT-sit.”
Is smutsig the only word for “dirty”?
Common alternatives:
- skitig (colloquial, stronger: “filthy”)
- oren (formal/literary, “impure,” less about literal dirt on floors)
Can I drop är like we sometimes do in headlines?
Not in normal sentences. Swedish needs the copula: Köket är rent, Golvet är smutsigt. In headlines or notes you might see fragments, but that’s stylistic, not standard grammar.