Breakdown of Tröjan är billig, men den är fin.
vara
to be
den
it (common)
fin
nice
tröjan
the sweater
men
but
billig
cheap
Questions & Answers about Tröjan är billig, men den är fin.
Does the word order change after the conjunction men?
No. men (but) is a coordinating conjunction, which means it simply links two complete sentences together without changing the word order. In the second half of this sentence, den (the subject) still comes right before är (the verb), just like it would in a standalone sentence.
Why does the sentence use den for "it" instead of det?
In Swedish, the word for "it" depends on the gender of the noun you are talking about. Because "a sweater" is en tröja (an en-word), you must use den to say "it". If you were replacing an ett-word, you would use det.
Why are the adjectives billig and fin used without a "-t" at the end?
Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because they are describing tröjan, which is an en-word, they stay in their basic form. If they were describing an ett-word (like ett hus, a house), they would need a "-t" at the end to become billigt and fint.
Does fin mean "fine" like when someone asks how you are doing?
It can, but when describing objects like clothing, fin usually means "nice", "pretty", or "good-looking". Here, den är fin means the sweater looks very nice, not just that it is of acceptable quality!
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