Breakdown of Jag ser några fåglar bakom huset.
jag
I
huset
the house
se
to see
fågeln
the bird
några
some / any (plural)
bakom
behind
Questions & Answers about Jag ser några fåglar bakom huset.
How exactly do we use bakom? Is there a different form if the birds are flying to the back of the house?
Unlike some Swedish direction words that change if there is movement (like in versus inne), the preposition bakom stays exactly the same whether the birds are already resting there or are moving to that spot.
I see the word bak inside bakom. Can I just say bak huset instead?
No, bak on its own usually means the physical "back" or "bottom" as a noun. To say "behind" as a preposition showing where something is located, you must always use bakom.
Why does några go with fåglar? Do they have to match?
Yes. The word några means "some" or "a few" and is the plural form. It pairs with the plural indefinite noun fåglar (birds). If you were talking about an unspecified single bird, you would use the singular form någon fågel (some bird or any bird).
Does the preposition bakom force the noun after it into a specific form?
No, unlike in some other languages, Swedish prepositions don't force nouns to change their endings. We use huset (the house) simply because we mean a specific house, just like in English. The definite ending -et is added because hus is an "ett" word.
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