Breakdown of Mäklaren är varken snabb eller bra.
vara
to be
snabb
fast
bra
good / well
eller
or
varken
neither
mäklaren
the real estate agent
Questions & Answers about Mäklaren är varken snabb eller bra.
Why does eller mean "nor" in this sentence instead of "or"?
The phrase varken ... eller is a fixed pair meaning "neither ... nor". Even though eller by itself usually means "or", when it follows varken, it acts like "nor". In Swedish, you essentially pair "neither" with "or" to get this meaning!
Do I need to add inte to make this sentence negative?
No, you don't. The word varken (neither) already makes the sentence negative. Adding inte would create an incorrect double negative, which sounds just as unnatural in Swedish as it does in English.
Why are the adjectives snabb and bra in their basic forms here?
Adjectives must match the noun they describe. They are describing Mäklaren, which is a singular en-word. Therefore, snabb takes its basic en-form. As a bonus, bra is an irregular adjective that never changes its ending anyway, no matter what it describes.
How do we get the word Mäklaren from its base dictionary form?
The base noun is en mäklare (a real estate agent). Because it is an en-word that already ends in a vowel, you simply add -n to the end to make it the definite form mäklaren (the real estate agent).
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