Breakdown of Igår hade vi de smutsiga tallrikarna.
vi
we
ha
to have
igår
yesterday
smutsig
dirty
de
the (plural, before adjective)
tallriken
the plate
Questions & Answers about Igår hade vi de smutsiga tallrikarna.
Why is it hade vi (had we) instead of vi hade (we had)?
This is because of the V2 (verb-second) rule in Swedish. The verb must be the second piece of information in the sentence. Since the sentence starts with the time word Igår (yesterday), the verb hade (had) must come immediately next, pushing the subject vi (we) to the third spot.
Why do we use both de and the ending -rna in de smutsiga tallrikarna?
This is a unique Swedish rule called "double definiteness." When you have a definite noun (like the plates) and an adjective (like dirty), you have to mark "the" twice. You use the separate word de before the adjective, and you also keep the definite plural ending -rna on the noun itself.
Why does the adjective smutsiga end in an "a"?
Adjectives in Swedish add an -a to the end whenever they describe plural nouns, like tallrikarna (the plates), or when they are used in a definite phrase (with a word for "the"). Since this phrase is both plural and definite, smutsig (dirty) becomes smutsiga.
How do I pronounce the word de in this sentence?
Even though it is spelled de, it is almost always pronounced like dom in everyday spoken Swedish.
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