Breakdown of Varför är de gamla knivarna här?
vara
to be
här
here
varför
why
gammal
old
de
the (plural, before adjective)
kniven
the knife
Questions & Answers about Varför är de gamla knivarna här?
Why does the sentence use both de and the ending -arna for "the"?
In Swedish, when a definite noun like knivarna (the knives) has an adjective in front of it, you have to add an extra "the" word before the adjective. This is called the double definite. You use the plural article de, the adjective gamla, and the definite plural noun knivarna.
How should I pronounce the word de in this sentence?
Even though it is spelled de, it is almost always pronounced like the English word "dom". This is the plural word for "the" (and also "they"), and saying "dom" is the standard way to pronounce it in everyday spoken Swedish.
Why is it gamla instead of gammal?
Because we are talking about multiple knives, the adjective needs a plural ending. The root word gammal (old) changes slightly when you add the required -a ending, dropping an "m" and an "a" to become gamla. You also always use this -a form after the definite article de.
How is the word knivarna built from the base word for "knife"?
The base word for a knife is kniv. To make it plural ("knives"), you add -ar to get knivar. Then, to make it definite ("the knives"), you add the definite plural ending -na to the end, resulting in knivarna.
Why does the verb är come right after Varför?
Swedish strictly puts the verb in the second position in sentences. In a question like this, the question word Varför (Why) takes the first spot, so the verb är (are) must come exactly second, followed by the subject de gamla knivarna (the old knives).
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