Breakdown of Både mannen och kvinnan har pratat i en timme.
en
a, an (common)
prata
to speak
och
and
mannen
the man
kvinnan
the woman
ha
to have
i
for (duration)
timmen
the hour
både
both
Questions & Answers about Både mannen och kvinnan har pratat i en timme.
Why do we use i for "for" here, instead of på?
This is the core difference between i and på for duration! You use i to say how long a continuous activity lasts (like talking "for an hour"). You use på to say how long it takes to complete a specific task (like "I finished the homework in an hour") or when something hasn't happened for a while (like "I haven't talked to him in an hour"). Since talking here is a continuous activity, we use i.
How does the phrase både... och... work?
It means "both... and...". It is a fixed phrase that works just like it does in English. You put både before the first person or thing, and och before the second. For example, både mannen och kvinnan translates word-for-word to "both the man and the woman".
Why are mannen and kvinnan in their definite ("the") forms here?
Because we are talking about a specific man and a specific woman. In English, you say "both the man and the woman". In Swedish, you show this by attaching the definite endings -en and -an to the nouns. If you just said både man och kvinna, it would mean "both man and woman" in a general, non-specific sense.
Could I say Både mannen och kvinnan pratar i en timme using the present tense instead?
That would change the meaning. pratar is the present tense ("talk" or "are talking"). If you say they pratar i en timme, it sounds like you are describing a future plan or a regular routine: "They (usually) talk for an hour." To say they have talked or have been talking for the last hour, Swedish uses the present perfect har pratat, exactly like "have talked" in English.
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