Questions & Answers about Johan hämtar Tomas jacka.
Why is there no extra 's' or apostrophe added to Tomas to show possession?
In Swedish, you usually show possession by simply adding an -s to the end of a name, without an apostrophe. However, if a name already ends in an -s, -x, or -z, you don't add anything at all. Because of this rule, Tomas means both "Tomas" and "Tomas's".
Why is the word for jacket (jacka) in its basic form instead of the "the" form (jackan)?
Even though Johan is fetching a specific jacket, Swedish grammar requires the noun to be in its indefinite (basic) form whenever it comes directly after a possessive word. Because it comes right after Tomas (Tomas's), we must use jacka instead of jackan.
The translation says "is fetching". Doesn't hämtar just mean "fetches"?
It means both! Swedish doesn't have a separate "is doing" tense like English does. The single present tense verb hämtar translates to both "fetches" and "is fetching", depending on what makes the most sense in English.
Could I use tar (takes) instead of hämtar in this sentence?
You could, but it changes the meaning slightly. Hämtar specifically means to go get something and bring it back (like "fetch" or "pick up"). Tar just means to "take" something, which doesn't include the idea of going out of your way to retrieve it.
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