Questions & Answers about Han har gamla skor.
Why does the word for old end in -a here (gamla)?
Because the noun it describes, skor (shoes), is plural. In Swedish, when an adjective describes a plural noun, we add an -a to the end of the adjective.
The dictionary says old is gammal. Why does gamla look so different?
Gammal has a slight spelling change when it becomes plural. To make it easier to pronounce, Swedish drops the second 'm' and the 'a' near the end before adding the plural -a ending. So, gammal becomes gamla. You will see this dropping pattern in a few other adjectives too!
How do we know the plural of sko (shoe) is skor?
In Swedish, short nouns that end in a vowel other than 'a' (like the 'o' in sko) usually just add an -r to make the plural form.
Why isn't there a word for 'some' before gamla skor?
Just like in English, you can simply use the plural adjective and noun together without any article. Saying Han har gamla skor works exactly like saying 'He has old shoes' in English.