Breakdown of Hon hade en lägenhet i kvarteret där slottet är.
vara
to be
hon
she
en
a, an (common)
i
in
ha
to have
lägenheten
the apartment
slottet
the castle
där
where (relative)
kvarteret
the neighborhood
Questions & Answers about Hon hade en lägenhet i kvarteret där slottet är.
Why do we use där here instead of som?
In Swedish, där means 'where' and is used to start a relative clause that describes a place (in this case, kvarteret). If you wanted to use som (which/that), you would have to add a preposition at the end of the clause, like: '...kvarteret som slottet är i' (the neighborhood that the castle is in). Using där is much neater!
Is kvarteret an en-word or an ett-word?
It is an ett-word. The base noun is ett kvarter (a block or a neighborhood). Because this sentence refers to a specific neighborhood, it takes the definite suffix -et to become kvarteret.
Could I say där slottet ligger instead of där slottet är?
Yes, absolutely! In fact, Swedes very often use ligger (literally 'lies') when talking about where buildings, cities, or places are located. Both är and ligger are perfectly correct and natural here.
Why is the first verb in the past tense (hade) and the second in the present tense (är)?
Swedish handles this logic exactly like English. She had (hade) the apartment in the past, but the castle is (är) still located in that neighborhood today. If the castle had been torn down since then, you would say där slottet var.
Learn Hon hade en lägenhet i kvarteret där slottet är 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