Breakdown of Den här byrån är röd, men den där är vit.
vara
to be
röd
red
vit
white
men
but
den här
this (en)
den där
that (en)
byrån
the chest of drawers
Questions & Answers about Den här byrån är röd, men den där är vit.
What is the difference between den här and den där in this sentence?
Den här means 'this' (something close to you), while den där means 'that' (something further away). They are both used here because byrå is an en-word.
Why does the second half of the sentence just say den där instead of den där byrån?
Just like in English where we can say 'that one' instead of repeating the noun, you can use den där on its own as a pronoun. It stands alone to avoid repeating the word byrån.
Why is the noun in the definite form (byrån instead of byrå) after den här?
In Swedish, when you use pointing words like den här (this) or den där (that) together with a noun, the noun must be in its definite form. The structure is literally 'this the chest of drawers'.
Why do röd and vit not have a -t or -a at the end?
Adjectives must match the gender and number of the noun they describe. Because en byrå is a singular en-word, the adjectives röd (red) and vit (white) stay in their base form. If we were describing an ett-word like ett hus (a house), they would become rött and vitt.
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