Breakdown of Han är en trevlig man.
vara
to be
han
he
en
a, an (common)
mannen
the man
trevlig
nice (pleasant, friendly)
Questions & Answers about Han är en trevlig man.
Why is the adjective trevlig without a -t at the end?
Because it describes the word man, which is an en-word (en man). When an adjective comes before a singular indefinite en-word, it stays in its base form. If it were an ett-word like ett barn (a child), you would add a -t and say ett trevligt barn.
I didn't hear the 'g' at the end of trevlig. Is it silent?
Yes! In Swedish, the common adjective ending -ig is usually pronounced like the English 'ee' sound. So trevlig sounds like 'TREV-lee'.
Is the word order here exactly the same as in English?
Yes. When an adjective directly describes a noun, it goes right between the article and the noun, just like in English: en (a) + trevlig (nice) + man (man).
Can the word man also mean 'husband'?
It sure can. While it just means 'man' in this sentence, man is also the standard word for 'husband' in Swedish. You can usually tell from context, for example, min man means 'my husband'.
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