Breakdown of Nej, problemen är mycket svåra.
vara
to be
mycket
much / very
nej
no
svår
difficult
problemet
the problem
Questions & Answers about Nej, problemen är mycket svåra.
Wait, doesn't -en usually mean "the" for singular words? Why is problemen plural here?
You are right that -en is the singular "the" ending for "en" words (like hunden for "the dog"). However, problem is an "ett" word (ett problem). For "ett" words ending in a consonant, the definite plural ("the" + plural) is formed by adding -en. Therefore, problemen means "the problems".
Why is there an -a at the end of svåra?
Adjectives in Swedish must match the noun they describe. Because problemen is a plural word, the adjective svår (difficult) needs the plural ending -a to become svåra.
I thought mycket meant "much" or "a lot". Why does it translate to "very" here?
mycket is a very useful word! When you use it with a noun or verb, it means "much" or "a lot". But when you put it right before an adjective like svåra, it acts as an adverb and means "very".
Does the word Nej count as the first position for the "verb second" (V2) rule?
No, it doesn't. Words like ja (yes) and nej (no) are usually separated by a comma and sit completely outside the main sentence. The actual first position of the sentence is the subject problemen, which is why the verb är comes right after it in the second position.
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