Questions & Answers about Jag gjorde ett dumt misstag.
Why is it gjorde and not gjort?
Because gjorde is the simple past form of göra (to do / to make).
- Jag gjorde ett dumt misstag = I made a stupid mistake
- Jag har gjort ett dumt misstag = I have made a stupid mistake
So:
- gjorde = past tense on its own
- gjort = the form used with har in the present perfect
English learners often notice that Swedish uses göra for both do and make, so gjorde can mean either did or made, depending on the context.
Why is there ett before misstag?
Because misstag is an ett-word (a neuter noun) in Swedish.
Swedish nouns belong to one of two grammatical genders:
- en-words
- ett-words
Since it is:
- ett misstag = a mistake
the article must be ett, not en.
A few forms of the noun are:
- ett misstag = a mistake
- misstaget = the mistake
- misstag = mistakes
- misstagen = the mistakes
Notice that the plural of misstag is the same as the singular indefinite form.
Why is it dumt and not dum?