Breakdown of Den gamla släktingen dog för fem år sedan.
sedan
then
året
the year
gammal
old
den
the (with en-words)
fem
five
dö
to die
för ... sedan
ago (in 'för ... sedan')
släktingen
the relative
Questions & Answers about Den gamla släktingen dog för fem år sedan.
How does the phrase "för ... sedan" work to mean "ago"?
In Swedish, "ago" is expressed by wrapping the time amount in för ... sedan. Here, för comes before the time (fem år) and sedan comes after it. The whole phrase för fem år sedan simply means "five years ago".
Since it means "five years", why doesn't the word "år" have a plural ending?
År (year) is an "ett" word that ends in a consonant (ett år). In Swedish, "ett" words ending in a consonant look exactly the same in the plural as they do in the singular. So the plural remains just fem år (five years).
Why is it "Den gamla släktingen" and not just "Gamla släktingen"?
Swedish uses a rule often called "double definiteness." When a definite noun has an adjective attached to it, you need the separate article Den (The), the adjective with its definite ending (gamla), and the definite ending attached to the end of the noun itself (släkting-en).
Is the word "dog" just a funny coincidence with English? What is the dictionary form of this verb?
Yes, it is just a coincidence! Dog is the past tense of the irregular verb att dö (to die). Because the event happened at a specific, completed time in the past (för fem år sedan), we use this simple past tense form.
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