Questions & Answers about Han bar ut de tunga lådorna.
In the phrase bar ut, which word should I stress?
In Swedish particle verbs, the stress always falls on the particle rather than the verb itself. Therefore, you must put a strong emphasis on ut and leave bar unstressed.
Can I split the verb and say Han bar de tunga lådorna ut like we do in English?
No, Swedish particle verbs normally stay together when the object is a regular noun. Unlike English, where you can say 'carried the boxes out', in Swedish the particle ut must come right after the verb bar and before the object de tunga lådorna.
Why do we use the article de when lådorna already has a definite ending?
This is a great refresher on the Swedish double definite rule. When a definite noun like lådorna is described by an adjective like tunga, you must also include the separate plural definite article de before the adjective. It translates literally to 'the heavy the-boxes'.
What is the infinitive form of the verb bar?
The infinitive is bära (to carry). It is a strong verb, meaning it changes its core vowel in the past tense instead of taking a regular ending like -de or -te. It behaves a lot like the English verb 'bear' becoming 'bore'.