Breakdown of Mannen tvättar sin bil.
tvätta
to wash
bilen
the car
mannen
the man
sin
his/her/its/their own (en-word)
Questions & Answers about Mannen tvättar sin bil.
Why use sin bil instead of hans bil?
In Swedish, sin is a reflexive possessive pronoun used when a third-person subject (like a he, a she, or the man in this sentence) owns the object being talked about. It essentially means 'his own'. If you said hans bil, it would mean he is washing another man's car!
Why is the word sin used here rather than sitt or sina?
The form of this pronoun changes based on the gender and amount of the noun that is owned. Because bil is a singular en-word, we use sin. If the man were washing a singular ett-word, like a house (hus), he would wash sitt hus. If he were washing multiple cars, he would wash sina bilar.
Why is the word for car (bil) in its basic form instead of the definite form (bilen)?
After any possessive pronoun (like min, din, hans, or sin), you must use the indefinite (basic) form of the noun. Even though he is washing a specific car, it is incorrect to say sin bilen.
Does tvättar mean 'washes' or 'is washing'?
It means both! Swedish does not have a separate '-ing' form to show that an action is happening right now. Mannen tvättar can mean 'The man washes' as a general routine, or 'The man is washing' at this very moment.