Breakdown of Barnet håller sitt äpple.
barnet
the child
äpplet
the apple
sitt
his/her/its/their own (ett-word)
hålla
to hold / to hold on to
Questions & Answers about Barnet håller sitt äpple.
Why do we use sitt here instead of dess (its)?
The word sitt is a reflexive possessive pronoun. This means it reflects back to the subject of the sentence (barnet). It translates to "its own" (or "his/her own"). If we used dess (its), it would mean the child is holding some other thing's apple!
Why is the pronoun sitt and not sin or sina?
When using the "own" pronouns, the form you choose depends on the gender and number of the object being owned, not the owner. Because äpple is an ett word (ett äpple), we use sitt. If the child held an en word like en bok (a book), it would be sin bok. If there were multiple apples, it would be sina äpplen.
We are talking about a specific apple. Why is it just äpple and not the definite form äpplet?
In Swedish, whenever you put a possessive pronoun (like min, din, or sitt) in front of a noun, that noun must stay in the indefinite form. So you always say sitt äpple and never sitt äpplet.
How can I tell that barnet means "the child" and not just "child"?