Breakdown of Barnen börjar skolan den elfte september.
barnet
the child
börja
to start
den
the
skolan
the school
Questions & Answers about Barnen börjar skolan den elfte september.
What does barnen mean, and how is it formed?
Barnen is the definite plural form of barn.
- ett barn = a child
- barn = children
- barnet = the child
- barnen = the children
A useful thing to notice is that barn has the same form in the indefinite singular and plural. The ending -en here marks definite plural.
Why is the verb börjar and not börja?
Börja is the infinitive form, meaning to begin / to start.
Börjar is the present tense:
- att börja = to begin
- börjar = begin / begins / are beginning
So in this sentence, barnen börjar means the children begin / are starting.
Also, Swedish verbs do not change for person the way English verbs sometimes do. You use the same present-tense form with all subjects:
- jag börjar
- du börjar
- barnen börjar
Why is it skolan and not skola?