Breakdown of Björnen är stor, men spindeln är liten.
vara
to be
stor
big
men
but
liten
small
björnen
the bear
spindeln
the spider
Questions & Answers about Björnen är stor, men spindeln är liten.
Why do we use liten here instead of litet or små?
Liten is the form used for singular en-words. It describes spindeln (the spider), which comes from en spindel. If it were an ett-word, it would be litet, and if there were multiple spiders, we would use the plural form små.
Since it is "the bear" (björnen) and "the spider" (spindeln), shouldn't the adjectives take their definite forms (stora and lilla)?
No, because the adjectives come right after the verb är (is). When an adjective is separated from its noun by a verb like "to be", it only matches the gender (en or ett) and number (singular or plural). The definite forms (stora and lilla) are only used when the adjective comes directly in front of the noun, like in den stora björnen (the big bear).
Why is "the spider" spelled spindeln instead of spindelen?
When an en-word ends in an unstressed -el, -er, or -en (like en spindel), you just add an -n to make it definite, rather than the full -en. This avoids having two "e" sounds in a row and makes the word flow much better when speaking!
Does the word men (but) change the word order in the second half of the sentence?
No, men is a coordinating conjunction. This means it simply links two normal sentences together without changing how they are structured. The second half follows the standard Subject-Verb-Adjective order (spindeln är liten) just like the first half.
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