Breakdown of En liten myra går på bordet.
en
a, an (common)
bordet
the table
gå
to go, to walk
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
liten
small
myran
the ant
Questions & Answers about En liten myra går på bordet.
Why do we use liten here instead of litet or små?
The adjective must match the noun it describes. Because "ant" is an en-word (en myra), we use the en-form of the adjective, which is liten. If it were an ett-word, we would use litet, and if there were multiple ants, we would use the plural form små.
How does går translate to "is walking"? Shouldn't there be an "is" in there?
Swedish does not have a separate "is doing" tense (the present continuous). The single word går translates to both "walks" and "is walking". You never use är (is) right next to another verb like this in Swedish!
Wait, doesn't går mean "goes"?
It can mean both! Går is the general verb for "walk" or "go by foot". When translating into English, "is walking" often sounds more natural than "goes" when describing the physical action of moving around on a surface.
Why does bordet end in "-et"?
The word for "table" is an ett-word (ett bord). To say "the table", Swedish attaches the definite article to the end of the noun, giving us bordet.
Learn En liten myra går på bordet and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free