Breakdown of Vilken galen idé, det var ju en chock!
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
en
a, an (common)
vilken
which (en) / what a (en-word, exclamatory)
idén
the idea
ju
as you know / of course
galen
crazy
chocken
the shock
Questions & Answers about Vilken galen idé, det var ju en chock!
Why do we use vilken here instead of vilket or vilka?
Vilken translates to "what a" in exclamations. It has to match the gender and number of the noun it introduces. Because idé is a singular en-word (en idé), we use vilken. If it were an ett-word, we would use vilket, and for plurals, we use vilka.
Does the adjective galen follow special rules after vilken?
No, it follows the normal rules for adjectives describing indefinite nouns. Since vilken means "what a", it acts similarly to the indefinite article (en). The adjective just needs to match the singular en-word idé, so it stays in its basic form, galen.
What is the purpose of the little word ju in the second half of the sentence?
Ju is a common Swedish particle used when you assume the listener agrees with you or already knows what you are talking about. In this exclamation, it adds flavor, translating roughly to "you know" or "obviously", making the reaction sound much more conversational and natural.
Since idé is an en-word, why does the second part of the sentence say det var instead of den var?
In this case, det is not pointing directly back to the noun idé. Instead, it refers to the whole situation or the event as a general concept ("that whole thing was a shock"). When referring to a general situation or event, Swedish uses the neutral det.
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