Breakdown of Han tittar på den vackra floden.
han
he
titta på
to look at
den
the (with en-words)
vacker
beautiful
floden
the river
Questions & Answers about Han tittar på den vackra floden.
Why are there two markers for the word 'the' in this sentence (den and the -en on floden)?
This is what we call double definiteness. Whenever you put an adjective (like vackra) in front of a definite noun (floden, meaning the river), Swedish requires you to add a separate definite article (den or det) in front of the adjective. You literally say: the beautiful river-the.
Why does the adjective vackra end in an -a?
In Swedish, adjectives change their endings depending on whether the noun is indefinite (a river) or definite (the river). Because we are talking about a specific, definite thing, the adjective must take its definite form. For almost all adjectives, this simply means adding an -a to the end of the basic word.
Doesn't the word på usually mean 'on'? Why is it translated as 'at' here?
Prepositions rarely match up perfectly between languages. While på often means on in other contexts, it is the specific preposition required after the verb tittar. The set phrase tittar på means looking at or looks at.
How do I know if Han tittar means 'He looks' or 'He is looking'?
You can tell from the context! Swedish doesn't have a separate continuous tense (the 'is doing' form) like English does. A single present tense verb like tittar covers both looks and is looking. In this specific situation, He is looking feels like the most natural English translation.
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