Breakdown of Det här är slottet där kungen bor.
vara
to be
bo
to live
det här
this (ett)
kungen
the king
slottet
the castle
där
where (relative)
Questions & Answers about Det här är slottet där kungen bor.
Why do we use där to mean 'where' in this sentence instead of var?
In Swedish, var is a question word used to ask 'where?' (like Var bor kungen?). However, when you describe a place in the middle of a sentence ('the place where...'), you must use där instead. It helps to think of it as literally saying 'This is the castle, there the king lives.'
Why does the sentence start with Det här instead of Den här?
The phrase for 'this' has to match the grammatical gender of the noun you are talking about. Because the word for castle is an ett-word (ett slott), you must use the matching ett-form det här.
Could I say Detta är slottet instead of Det här är slottet?
Yes! Det här and detta both mean 'this' and are usually interchangeable. Det här is slightly more common in everyday spoken Swedish, while detta can sound a bit more formal or written, especially in central and northern Sweden.
Why is the word order där kungen bor and not där bor kungen?
If you were making a standalone statement starting with 'there', the verb would have to come second due to the V2 rule: Där bor kungen (There lives the king). But in this sentence, där connects two parts of a sentence. In this kind of connecting clause (a subordinate clause), the subject (kungen) must come right before the verb (bor).
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