Breakdown of De trasiga skålarna var på golvet.
vara
to be
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
golvet
the floor
de
the (plural, before adjective)
trasig
broken
skålen
the bowl
Questions & Answers about De trasiga skålarna var på golvet.
Why are there two pieces meaning "the" in De trasiga skålarna?
In Swedish, when you have a definite noun ("the bowls") with an adjective ("broken"), you use a rule often called the "double definite". You put an extra "the" word at the beginning (De for plural) AND keep the "the" ending on the noun (-arna).
Why does the adjective trasiga end in an "-a"?
Adjectives take an -a at the end when they describe plural nouns, like skålarna (the bowls), or when they are in a definite phrase (following words like De). Since this phrase is both plural and definite, trasiga is the required form.
Is var related to the word är?
Yes! Var is the past tense of är (am/is/are). Because Swedish verbs do not change based on who is doing the action, var translates to both "was" and "were". Here, it means "were" because we are talking about plural bowls.
Why is "the floor" written as golvet?
The word for floor, golv, is an ett word (ett golv). To say "the" with an ett word, you add -et to the end of it, giving you golvet.
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