Question 1

Why is "this morning" translated as i morse?

Accepted Answer

In Swedish, to talk about a specific morning in the past (like "this morning"), you use the phrase i morse. The preposition i is often used with time expressions to indicate that an event is already finished. Notice that it uses morse (a special form used only in this phrase), rather than the regular word for morning, morgon.

Question 2

The English translation says "was sleeping", but the Swedish sentence just uses sov (slept). Why?

Accepted Answer

Swedish doesn't have a direct equivalent to the English "-ing" form for ongoing actions in the past (the past continuous tense). Instead, you simply use the regular past tense, sov (slept). The context makes it clear that the sleeping was already happening when the murder interrupted it.

Question 3

Why does the sentence use hemma instead of hem for "home"?

Accepted Answer

You use hemma when you are located at a place without moving (position), like sleeping at home. You use hem when there is movement toward your home (direction), like walking home (gå hem). Since the subject is already at the house sleeping, hemma is the right choice here.

Question 4

Is mordet (the murder) an en-word or an ett-word?

Accepted Answer

It is an ett-word: ett mord. To make a regular ett-word definite to mean "the murder", you add -et to the end, which gives you mordet.

Jag sov hemma när mordet hände i morse.

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