Word
Tavlan hänger ovanför soffan.
Meaning
The picture hangs above the sofa.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Tavlan hänger ovanför soffan.
Why do tavlan and soffan end in -n?
Because they are in the definite singular form: the painting and the sofa.
In Swedish, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word like the in English.
- en tavla = a painting / a picture
tavlan = the painting / the picture
- en soffa = a sofa
- soffan = the sofa
Both tavla and soffa are en-words (common gender nouns), so their definite singular form here takes -n.
What form is hänger?
Hänger is the present tense of the verb hänga, which means to hang.
So:
- hänga = to hang
- hänger = hangs / is hanging
In this sentence, hänger describes the painting’s position.
Why does Swedish use hänger instead of something like is?