Questions & Answers about Var är snickarens verktyg?
How does the possessive 's' work in snickarens?
In Swedish, you form the possessive by adding an -s to the end of the noun. The base word is snickare (carpenter). First, you add the definite ending -n to get snickaren (the carpenter). Then, you add the -s to make it snickarens (the carpenter's).
The translation says 'tools', but verktyg doesn't have a plural ending. How do we know it is plural?
Verktyg is an ett word that ends in a consonant (ett verktyg). In Swedish, ett words that end in a consonant usually do not change their spelling in the plural. So verktyg can mean either one tool or multiple tools. We know it means 'tools' here from the English translation, but in real life, context tells you!
Why do we use är when the English translation uses 'are'?
Swedish verbs are incredibly friendly because they never change based on who or how many subjects there are. The verb är covers 'am', 'is', and 'are'. Since the tools are plural, är translates perfectly to 'are' here.
Could I use vart instead of var to ask 'where'?
Not in this sentence! Var is used when asking about a fixed location (where something is resting). Vart is used when asking about a destination or direction (where someone is going). Since the tools aren't traveling anywhere, you must use var.
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