Breakdown of Tonåringen mäter Lars längd.
Lars
Lars
tonåringen
the teenager
mäta
to measure
längden
the height / the length
Questions & Answers about Tonåringen mäter Lars längd.
How does the word längd relate to our current lesson on vowel mutations?
Längd (height/length) is the noun form of the adjective lång (long/tall). Just like lång changes its vowel to an ä in the comparative and superlative forms (längre, längst), the noun längd also uses this mutated vowel.
Why is it just Lars längd and not Lars's or Larses?
In Swedish, to show possession you normally add an -s to the end of the word. However, if a name already ends in an -s (like Lars), you do not add anything extra, not even an apostrophe. So Lars längd simply means Lars's height.
What is the literal breakdown of the word tonåringen?
It breaks down to ton (teen) plus åring (year-old) plus -en (the). A tonåring is a teenager, and adding the definite suffix -en makes it the teenager.
Does längd mean height or length?
It can mean both! Because Swedish uses the adjective lång to describe both how long an object is and how tall a person is, the noun längd is used for both length and a person's height.