Questions & Answers about De där stolarna är billiga.
Why do we use de där here instead of just de?
The phrase de där specifically means "those" (pointing to things further away). The word de by itself usually just means "they" or "the" (plural). Since där means "there", putting them together as de där is like saying "those ones over there".
Why is stolarna in its definite form? Doesn't the English translation just say "chairs"?
This is a very important rule in Swedish! Whenever you use den där, det där, or de där (that/those), the noun that follows must always be in its definite form. So you literally have to say "those the-chairs" (de där stolarna). Saying de där stolar is incorrect in Swedish.
Why does billiga have an -a at the end?
Because the subject of the sentence, de där stolarna, is plural. In Swedish, adjectives must change to match the noun they describe. The basic form of the word is billig (cheap), but since there are multiple chairs, we add an -a to make the adjective plural.
How should I pronounce de där when reading this sentence out loud?
In almost all everyday spoken Swedish, the word de is pronounced as dom. Therefore, you should pronounce this phrase as dom där.