Questions & Answers about De är alltid röda och fina.
Why do the words for red and pretty end in -a (röda, fina)?
Because the subject of the sentence, De (They), is plural. In Swedish, when you use an adjective to describe a plural subject, you must add an -a to the end of the adjective. The base forms are röd and fin, but they become röda and fina here.
Is De actually pronounced the way it is spelled?
Not usually! Even though it is spelled De, it is almost always pronounced like the word dom in everyday spoken Swedish. You will usually hear native speakers say Dom är alltid röda.
Why does alltid (always) come after the verb är?
In a standard Swedish sentence, the verb must come in the second position. Because De takes up the first position, the verb är comes second, and small adverbs like alltid (always) or inte (not) are placed directly after the verb.
I thought fina just meant fine. Why is it translated as pretty here?
The Swedish word fin is very versatile. While it can mean fine, it is much more commonly used to mean pretty, nice, or beautiful when describing things, clothes, people, or even the weather.
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