Barnet håller handen framför munnen när hon hostar.

when

Breakdown of Barnet håller handen framför munnen när hon hostar.

• hon: she
• barnet: the child
• framför: in front of

Questions & Answers about Barnet håller handen framför munnen när hon hostar.

Why is it barnet and not barn?

Barn means child in the indefinite form.

• ett barn = a child
• barnet = the child

So -et is the definite ending for this neuter noun. Swedish usually adds definiteness as a suffix, instead of using a separate word like the.

Because the sentence is talking about a specific child, it uses barnet.

Why does barnet end in -et? Is barn a neuter noun?

Yes. Barn is an ett-word in Swedish:

• ett barn = a child
• barnet = the child

This is grammatical gender, not biological sex. So even if the child is a girl, the noun barn is still grammatically neuter.

That is why the definite form is barnet, not barnen or something else.

If barnet is grammatically neuter, why does the sentence use hon?