Questions & Answers about Vi ser polisens bil.
Why is there no apostrophe in polisens?
Unlike English, Swedish does not use an apostrophe for the genitive -s. You just attach the -s directly to the very end of the word!
How is the word polisens built here?
Polisens comes from the definite noun polisen (the police officer). You simply add the genitive -s to the end of that definite form to make it mean 'the police officer's'.
Why is it bil and not bilen after polisens?
Whenever a noun comes right after a genitive word (an owner with an -s), it drops its 'the' ending and takes the indefinite form. Just like in English, we say 'the police officer's car', never 'the police officer's the car'.
Does polisen mean 'the police officer' or 'the police' as an organization?
It can actually mean both! Depending on the context, polisen can refer to a single specific police officer, or to the police force as a whole.
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