Questions & Answers about Mötet är slut nu.
Why is it mötet and not möte?
Because mötet is the definite form of the noun: the meeting.
- ett möte = a meeting
- mötet = the meeting
Swedish often adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.
Here, möte is an ett-word, so the definite singular ending is -et:
- ett möte → mötet
So Mötet är slut nu. means The meeting is over now.
What does är mean, and why is it used here?
Är means is / am / are. It is the present tense of the verb vara (to be).
Examples:
- Jag är = I am
- Du är = you are
- Mötet är slut = the meeting is over
In this sentence, är links mötet and slut, just like is does in English.
What does slut mean here?
Here, slut means over, finished, or at an end.
So:
- Mötet är slut = The meeting is over
- Filmen är slut = The movie is over
- Pengarna är slut = The money is gone / used up
In this sentence, slut is not being used as the end as a noun. It is functioning more like a description: finished / over.
Why is there no word for the before slut?
Because slut is not the noun the end here. It is being used in a predicative way after är, meaning over or finished.
Compare:
- Mötet är slut. = The meeting is over.
- Slutet på mötet = the end of the meeting
So in Mötet är slut nu, slut behaves more like an adjective-like complement, not like a definite noun phrase.
Why is nu at the end of the sentence?
Nu means now, and putting it at the end is very natural in Swedish.
- Mötet är slut nu. = The meeting is over now.
Swedish often places short time words like nu in a fairly flexible way, but the end position is very common and natural here.
You may also hear:
- Nu är mötet slut.
That also works, but it gives nu a bit more emphasis, like Now the meeting is over.
Could you also say Mötet är över nu?
Yes. Mötet är över nu is very natural and means almost the same thing.
Both are common:
- Mötet är slut nu.
- Mötet är över nu.
A rough difference:
- slut often focuses on something being finished
- över often focuses on something being over / ended
In many everyday situations, they are interchangeable.
What is the basic word order in this sentence?
The basic order is:
Subject + verb + complement + time word
So:
- Mötet = subject
- är = verb
- slut = complement
- nu = time word
This is a very normal Swedish sentence pattern:
- Kaffet är varmt nu. = The coffee is hot now.
- Lektionen är slut nu. = The lesson is over now.
How do you pronounce mötet?
A simple learner-friendly approximation is:
- mötet ≈ MUR-tet or MER-tet, but with Swedish vowels
- är ≈ somewhere between air and ehr
- slut ≈ sloot
- nu ≈ noo
A few pronunciation notes:
- ö does not exist in standard English. It is somewhat similar to the vowel in British bird or fur, but with rounded lips.
- The e in -et is usually not strongly stressed.
- u in Swedish is also not exactly like English oo, but noo and sloot are decent approximations for beginners.
Why does the sentence not use det or some other pronoun?
Because the subject is already clearly stated: mötet (the meeting).
Swedish does use det in many expressions, but not when a normal noun is already the subject.
So:
- Mötet är slut nu. = correct
- Det är slut nu. = possible, but now it has to refer to something understood from context
If you say Det är slut nu, it means It’s over now, but the listener has to know what it refers to.
Can nu be left out?
Yes.
- Mötet är slut. = The meeting is over.
- Mötet är slut nu. = The meeting is over now.
Adding nu makes the sentence feel more immediate and tied to the present moment. Without nu, it is simply a statement of fact.
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