Breakdown of Mannen spelar instrumentet mycket skickligt.
mycket
much / very
spela
to play
mannen
the man
skicklig
skilful
instrumentet
the instrument
Questions & Answers about Mannen spelar instrumentet mycket skickligt.
Why does skickligt end with a -t in this sentence?
Because it is acting as an adverb, describing how the man plays. In Swedish, you generally form an adverb by adding -t to the base adjective. So the adjective skicklig (skillful) becomes the adverb skickligt (skillfully).
Doesn't adding -t to a describing word usually mean it goes with an ett noun? How can I tell it's an adverb here?
You are right that neuter (ett) nouns also force adjectives to end in -t. You can tell skickligt is an adverb here because it modifies the verb spelar (plays) rather than describing the instrument. It tells us how the action of playing is being done.
Why does instrumentet end in -et?
The suffix -et makes the noun definite, meaning "the instrument". Because instrument is an ett-word, its definite ending is -et instead of the -en ending you see on mannen (the man).
Does mycket always mean "very"?
Not always! When it comes right before an adjective or an adverb like skickligt, it translates to "very". But in other contexts, it usually means "much" or "a lot" (for example, tack så mycket means "thanks so much").
Learn Mannen spelar instrumentet mycket skickligt 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