Breakdown of Jag ser inget smör i kylskåpet.
jag
I
i
in
se
to see
kylskåpet
the fridge
inget
nothing / no (neuter)
smöret
the butter
Questions & Answers about Jag ser inget smör i kylskåpet.
Why do we use inget here instead of ingen or inga?
Inget is describing the noun smör (butter). The word for "no" or "not any" has to match the gender of the noun it belongs to. Because smör is an ett word (ett smör), we use the neuter form inget. If it were an en word, we would use ingen, and for plurals we would use inga.
Wait, doesn't inget usually mean "nothing"? Why does it mean "no" here?
It can mean both! When used completely on its own, inget (or ingenting) means "nothing". But when you put it directly in front of a noun, like in inget smör, it acts as a describing word meaning "no" or "not any".
Could I use inte (not) in this sentence instead?
Yes, but you would need to add något (any) to make it sound natural. You could say Jag ser inte något smör (I do not see any butter). Using inget is simply a shorter, very common way of saying the exact same thing.
Why does kylskåpet end in -et?
Because we are saying "in the fridge". Kylskåp is an ett word (ett kylskåp). To make an ett word definite (which adds "the" in English), you attach -et to the end of the word, resulting in kylskåpet.
Learn Jag ser inget smör i kylskåpet and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free