Breakdown of Han läser den första boken.
han
he
boken
the book
läsa
to read
den
the (with en-words)
första
first (adjective)
Questions & Answers about Han läser den första boken.
Why does it say läser when the translation is "is reading"? Shouldn't there be a word for "is"?
In Swedish, there is no separate "is doing" form. The present tense verb läser translates to both "reads" and "is reading" depending on the context. You never add the Swedish word for "is" (är) to make this tense!
Why is it den första boken? Doesn't boken already mean "the book"?
Yes, boken already means "the book". However, Swedish uses a rule often called "double definiteness" when an adjective (like första) is placed in front of a definite noun. You must use the standalone article den (the) before the adjective, and keep the definite ending (-en) on the noun. Literally, it translates to "the first the book".
Why do we use den instead of det before the adjective?
The choice between den and det depends on the noun's gender. Because book is an en-word (en bok), you must use den. If you were talking about an ett-word like a house (ett hus), you would use det, like this: det första huset (the first house).
Would the ending of första change if the noun was an ett-word or plural?
No. Normally, adjectives change their endings to match the noun. But första (first) is an ordinal number, and these are exceptions. It will always be första, regardless of the noun's gender or if it is plural.
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