Breakdown of Jag köper ett kilo jordgubbar, men min syster vill bara ha lite sylt.
jag
I
ha
to have
ett
a
vilja
to want
Questions & Answers about Jag köper ett kilo jordgubbar, men min syster vill bara ha lite sylt.
Why is it ett kilo and not en kilo?
Because kilo is a neuter noun in Swedish, so it takes ett.
- ett kilo = a kilo
- två kilo = two kilos
This is because kilo is short for kilogram, and kilogram is also an ett word.
Why is it jordgubbar and not jordgubbarna?
Because the sentence is talking about an indefinite amount of strawberries: one kilo of strawberries, not the strawberries.
After quantities, Swedish usually uses the indefinite plural:
- ett kilo jordgubbar = a kilo of strawberries
- två liter äpplen would be wrong, because apples are countable in another way, but the pattern with quantity + indefinite noun is the same idea
- ett paket kakor = a packet of cookies
So jordgubbar here is just the normal plural form, not the definite plural.
Why is there no word for of in ett kilo jordgubbar?