Breakdown of Vilken utsökt middag, den var väl dyr?
vara
to be
den
it (common)
vilken
which (en) / what a (en-word, exclamatory)
dyr
expensive
väl
surely / right (particle, tag question)
middagen
the dinner
utsökt
delicious
Questions & Answers about Vilken utsökt middag, den var väl dyr?
Why do we use vilken here instead of vilket or vilka?
Vilken means "what a" in this exclamation, and it must match the gender of the noun. We use vilken because middag (dinner) is an en-word (en middag). If it were an ett-word, you would use vilket, and for plurals, you would use vilka.
Since middag is an en-word, shouldn't the adjective utsökt drop the -t at the end?
Normally, adjectives describing en-words don't end in -t. However, the basic dictionary form of utsökt (delicious or exquisite) already ends in a -t. Because the -t is part of the root word itself, it doesn't get dropped for en-words.
Why does the second part of the sentence use den instead of det for "it"?
In Swedish, when you use "it" to refer back to a noun you just mentioned, you have to match that noun's gender. Since middag is an en-word, "it" translates to den. You only use det when referring back to an ett-word.
What does the word väl do in this sentence?
Väl is a small word that softens a statement, often showing that you are making an assumption or looking for agreement. Instead of just stating "it was expensive", adding väl turns it into "it was expensive, wasn't it?" or "I suppose it was expensive."
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