Word
Den vuxna mannen är tyngre än tonåringen.
Meaning
The adult man is heavier than the teenager.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Den vuxna mannen är tyngre än tonåringen.
vara
to be
tung
heavy
mannen
the man
den
the (with en-words)
Questions & Answers about Den vuxna mannen är tyngre än tonåringen.
How do we get tyngre from the base word for 'heavy'?
The basic adjective for 'heavy' is tung. To make it comparative ('heavier'), Swedish adds -re instead of the usual -are. When adjectives take this shorter -re ending, their main vowel changes. Here, the u mutates into a y, making it tyngre.
Why is it Den vuxna mannen instead of just Den vuxna man?
This is a great example of the Swedish 'double definite' rule. When you have a definite noun (the man) and you add an adjective (the adult man), you must use both the separate pointing article (den) and the definite suffix on the noun itself (-en).
Why does the adjective vuxen (adult) change to vuxna here?
Because it is part of a definite phrase (Den ... mannen), the adjective needs its definite form, which usually means adding an -a. When words ending in -en like vuxen take this ending, they drop their e to become easier to pronounce, giving us vuxna.
How does the word tonåringen break down?