Question 1

Why do we use den där instead of det där here?

Accepted Answer

Fåtölj (armchair) is an en-word in Swedish (en fåtölj). Because it is an en-word, we use den instead of det. When we want to point to that specific one over there, we add där (there) to make den där.

Question 2

Why is the word for armchair in its definite form (fåtöljen) after den där?

Accepted Answer

In English, we just say 'that armchair'. But in Swedish, when you use den där (that) or den här (this), the noun that follows must almost always be in the definite form (the form ending in -en or -et). So you are literally saying 'that the-armchair' (den där fåtöljen).

Question 3

If I just said den fåtöljen, would that still mean 'that armchair'?

Accepted Answer

Not quite. On its own, den fåtöljen usually just means 'the armchair', often used when you are adding more description. To clearly point to a specific armchair at a distance ('that armchair'), you really need to include där to make it den där fåtöljen.

Question 4

Why is the adjective bekväm and not bekvämt?

Accepted Answer

Adjectives have to match the gender of the noun they describe. Since fåtölj is an en-word, the adjective bekväm (comfortable) stays in its basic form. If we were talking about an ett-word like ett tåg (a train), we would add a -t and say det där tåget är mycket bekvämt.

Den där fåtöljen är mycket bekväm.

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