Breakdown of Katten är på taket, inte i fönstret.
vara
to be
katten
the cat
inte
not
i
in
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
fönstret
the window
taket
the roof
Questions & Answers about Katten är på taket, inte i fönstret.
Why does katten end in "-en" while taket ends in "-et"?
In Swedish, the word for "the" is attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word. Because katt is an "en" word, it takes the -en ending to become katten (the cat). Because tak (roof) is an "ett" word, it takes the -et ending to become taket (the roof).
The word for window is fönster. Why is "the window" fönstret and not "fönsteret"?
Fönster is an "ett" word, so you would normally expect to add -et to the end. However, when an "ett" word already ends in -er, we drop the extra "e" when adding the ending to make it easier to pronounce. That is why it becomes fönstret.
Do på and i mean the same things as "on" and "in" in English?
In this sentence, yes! Swedish prepositions can sometimes be tricky and not match English, but here they translate directly. Use på for being on top of a surface (på taket - on the roof) and i for being inside a space (i fönstret - in the window).
Why does inte come before i fönstret? Doesn't it usually go after the verb?
You are right that inte usually comes directly after the verb in a standard sentence (like Katten är inte...). But the second half of this sentence is shortened. The full thought is "...it is not in the window" (...den är inte i fönstret). When we shorten it to just "not in the window", inte is placed directly in front of the phrase it is negating.
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