Breakdown of Min dotter behöver en ren filt.
en
a, an (common)
behöva
to need
dottern
the daughter
min
my (min/mitt/mina)
Questions & Answers about Min dotter behöver en ren filt.
Why is the adjective ren and not rent?
We use ren (clean) because it is describing an en-word (en filt) in the indefinite singular. If the object were an ett-word, you would add a -t to the adjective and say rent. Because filt is an en-word, the adjective stays in its base form.
Wait, doesn't ren mean "reindeer"?
Yes! As a noun, en ren means "a reindeer". But here it is used as an adjective meaning "clean". You can tell it is an adjective because it sits directly between the article en and the noun filt.
Why do we use Min for "my" instead of Mitt?
Just like adjectives, possessive words like "my" have to match the gender of the noun they belong to. Because dotter is an en-word (en dotter), we use Min. If it were an ett-word like barn (child), we would use Mitt barn.
How do I know if behöver means "need" or "needs"?
In English we say "I need" but "she needs". In Swedish, verbs are much simpler! They never change based on who is doing the action. So behöver is used for everyone, and you rely on the subject (Min dotter) to know it translates to "needs" here.