Breakdown of Han vill ha det där moderna skrivbordet.
han
he
ha
to have
vilja
to want to
modern
modern
det där
that (ett)
skrivbordet
the desk
Questions & Answers about Han vill ha det där moderna skrivbordet.
Why do we use det där here instead of den där?
We use det där because the noun it points to, skrivbord (desk), is an ett word. If we were talking about an en word, like en stol (a chair), we would use den där.
Why is it skrivbordet (the desk) instead of just skrivbord? Doesn't det där already mean 'that'?
Yes, but Swedish uses a double definite rule. When you use pointing words like den där or det där, the noun that follows must also be in its definite form. So literally, you are saying 'that there the desk'.
Why does the adjective moderna have an -a at the end?
Whenever you use a demonstrative like det där, the adjective that follows must take its definite form, which almost always ends in -a. Even though skrivbord is an ett word, you don't use the ett-form modernt here because the definite form overrides it.
Why does the sentence say vill ha instead of just vill for 'wants'?
In Swedish, vill is a helper verb that means 'wants to do something'. If you want a physical object (like a desk), you have to say vill ha, which literally means 'wants to have'.
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