Breakdown of Karin dricker aldrig Tomas vin.
dricka
to drink
aldrig
never
Karin
Karin
Tomas
Tomas
vinet
the wine
Questions & Answers about Karin dricker aldrig Tomas vin.
Why is it just Tomas and not Tomas's or Tomases?
In Swedish, to show possession (like adding 's in English), you usually just add an -s to the name. But if a name already ends in -s, -x, or -z, you do not add anything at all! You also do not use an apostrophe. So, Tomas's wine is simply Tomas vin.
Why is it vin and not the definite form vinet?
Whenever you use a possessive word or a name indicating possession (like Tomas here), the noun that follows must always be in its indefinite basic form. Even though we are talking about a specific wine, we say Tomas vin, never Tomas vinet.
Why does aldrig come after the verb dricker instead of before it?
In a standard Swedish sentence, the verb must be in the second position. Because the subject Karin is in the first position, the verb dricker must come second. Sentence adverbs like aldrig (never) or inte (not) usually come right after the verb.
Does dricker mean she is drinking it right now, or that she drinks in general?
It can mean both! Swedish does not have a separate continuous form like the English 'is drinking'. Karin dricker translates to both 'Karin drinks' and 'Karin is drinking' depending on the context. Here, with aldrig, it means she never drinks it in general.
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