Familjen sitter i sitt hus.

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Breakdown of Familjen sitter i sitt hus.

• huset: the house
• familjen: the family
• sitta: to sit

Questions & Answers about Familjen sitter i sitt hus.

Why is it familjen and not familj?

In Swedish, the definite article (the) is usually added as an ending to the noun instead of being a separate word.

• familj = family
• familjen = the family

So Familjen sitter i sitt hus literally starts with The family. You normally need that definite form here, because you are talking about a specific family already known in the context, not just “a family.”

Why do we use sitter and not är (is/are)?

In Swedish, verbs like sitta (to sit), stå (to stand), ligga (to lie) are used much more than in English to describe where someone or something is located.

• Familjen sitter i sitt hus.
  = Literally The family sits in its house, but idiomatically often means The family is sitting in its house / is in its house (sitting).

You would only use är if you want to say The family is in its house without saying how they are positioned:

• Familjen är i sitt hus. = The family is in its house. (no info about sitting/standing/etc.)

So sitter gives a bit more physical detail: they are there sitting, not just being there.

Does sitter here mean they are sitting right now, like an English continuous tense?