Questions & Answers about De var förkylda och trötta.
Why does the English translation say "had colds", but the Swedish sentence uses var (were) instead of hade (had)?
In English, you usually "have" a cold. In Swedish, förkyld is an adjective that describes your condition. So, just like you were tired (var trötta), you were "cold-sick" (var förkylda). You use vara (to be) instead of ha (to have).
Does the verb var change because the subject de (they) is plural?
No! This is one of the best things about Swedish: verbs never change to match the person or the number of people. Jag var (I was), hon var (she was), and de var (they were) all use the exact same verb form.
Why do förkylda and trötta both end with an -a here?
Because they are describing a plural subject (de). In Swedish, when an adjective describes more than one person or thing, you usually add an -a to the end of it. If it were just one person, it would be förkyld and trött.
How should I pronounce De in this sentence?
Even though it is spelled De, it is almost always pronounced as dom in everyday spoken Swedish.
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