Word
Kocken tvättar de stora skålarna.
Meaning
The chef washes the large bowls.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Kocken tvättar de stora skålarna.
tvätta
to wash
stor
big
kocken
the chef
de
the (plural, before adjective)
Questions & Answers about Kocken tvättar de stora skålarna.
Why is there a de before stora when skålarna already has "the" built into the end of the word?
This is a classic Swedish rule called "double definiteness." When a definite noun (like skålarna, meaning the bowls) has an adjective in front of it, you must also add a separate "the" word before the adjective. Since it is plural, we use de. So the sentence literally translates to "The chef washes the large the bowls."
How do I pronounce de in this sentence?
Even though it is spelled de, it is almost always pronounced like dom in everyday spoken Swedish.
I thought washing dishes was diskar. Why is the chef doing tvättar here?
You are right! Normally, washing dishes like plates, glasses, and regular bowls is diskar. Tvättar is usually used for washing clothes, hands, or cars. If a chef tvättar these bowls, it implies they are probably massive industrial mixing bowls being scrubbed or hosed down, rather than just normal dinner dishes.
Why is it stora instead of just stor?
Stora is the plural form of the adjective stor (large or big). Because the chef is washing multiple bowls (skålarna), the adjective must match the plural noun by taking the -a ending.