Breakdown of Vi är en familj och pratar svenska.
vara
to be
vi
we
en
a, an (common)
familjen
the family
prata
to speak
svenska
Swedish
och
and
Questions & Answers about Vi är en familj och pratar svenska.
Why is it en familj and not ett familj?
In Swedish, nouns belong to one of two groups: en words or ett words. Most words (about 80 percent) are en words, including familj. There isn't a strict rule to tell them apart, so it is best to memorize the article en or ett at the same time you learn the noun itself.
The verb pratar ends in -ar. What does this tell us?
It tells us that pratar (speak or are speaking) is in the present tense and belongs to Group 1 of regular Swedish verbs. Group 1 verbs are very common and always end in -ar in the present tense. The basic dictionary form is prata (to speak), and you just add an -r to make it present tense.
Why isn't the word svenska capitalized here?
Unlike in English, Swedish does not capitalize the names of languages, days, months, or nationalities. So, 'Swedish' becomes svenska with a lowercase s.
Can I say och vi pratar instead of just och pratar?
Yes, you can say Vi är en familj och vi pratar svenska. However, just like in English, if the subject (vi) is the exact same for both verbs (är and pratar), you can drop the second one to make the sentence flow more naturally.
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