Breakdown of Vi måste slå det svåraste rekordet idag.
vi
we
idag
today
måste
to have to, must
svår
difficult
Questions & Answers about Vi måste slå det svåraste rekordet idag.
Why does svåraste end in -e instead of -a like most definite adjectives?
In Swedish, when a superlative adjective (a word like hardest or fastest) is used in a definite phrase, it always takes an -e ending. The base superlative svårast becomes svåraste. Regular adjectives usually take an -a in the definite form, but superlatives are an exception!
Why do we use det here instead of den?
It matches the noun. The word for record is an ett-word (ett rekord). When making a definite phrase with an adjective, you use the matching standalone article: det for ett-words, den for en-words, and de for plurals.
Why does the sentence have det before the adjective AND an -et at the end of rekordet?
This is the famous Swedish double definite rule. When you add an adjective to a definite noun (like changing a record to the hardest record), you keep the noun's definite suffix (rekordet) and also add the standalone definite article (det) before the adjective.
I thought slå meant to hit. Why is it translated as beat?