Breakdown of Barnet äter ett grönt äpple.
ett
a, an (neuter)
barnet
the child
äpplet
the apple
äta
to eat
grön
green
Questions & Answers about Barnet äter ett grönt äpple.
Why is the word for green spelled grönt instead of grön here?
Because it is describing an ett-word (ett äpple). In Swedish, when an adjective comes before a noun with the article ett, you usually add a -t to the end of the adjective.
How does the word Barnet mean "the child"?
In Swedish, the word for "the" isn't a separate word before the noun. Instead, it gets attached to the end of the word. Since "a child" is ett barn, we move that -et to the end of the word to make barnet (the child).
Is there a rule for knowing if a word like äpple is an en-word or an ett-word?
There isn't a strict rule for guessing, so you just have to memorize the gender when you learn a new noun. However, in this sentence, the words ett and grönt are both giant clues that äpple is an ett-word!
Would the verb äter change if the sentence was about multiple children eating?
No, Swedish verbs do not change based on who is doing the action. Whether it is one child or ten children, or whether you are saying "I eat" or "we eat", the present tense verb is always äter.
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