Breakdown of Han tappar sin nyckel.
han
he
nyckeln
the key
sin
his/her/its/their own (en-word)
tappa
to drop / to lose
Questions & Answers about Han tappar sin nyckel.
Why do we use sin here instead of hans?
Sin is a special pronoun that refers back to the subject of the sentence. Because han (he) is the subject, using sin shows he dropped his own key. If we used hans, it would mean he dropped another man's key.
Why is it sin and not sitt or sina?
The form depends on the noun being owned. The word for key, nyckel, is a singular en word (en nyckel). You use sin for singular en words, sitt for singular ett words, and sina for plural words.
Can tappar also mean "loses"?
Yes! Tappar is often used for both "drops" and "loses" when talking about misplacing physical objects like a key or a phone. Context usually tells you which translation makes more sense.
Does the noun nyckel need a definite ending after sin?
No. Just like with other possessive words (such as min or din), you always use the basic indefinite form of the noun after sin. That is why we say sin nyckel and never sin nyckeln.