Breakdown of Både hyran och räkningen är betalda.
vara
to be
och
and
både
both
hyran
the rent
räkningen
the bill
betald
paid
Questions & Answers about Både hyran och räkningen är betalda.
Why does betalda end in an -a?
In this sentence, the past participle betalda (paid) acts like an adjective describing the subject. Because the subject consists of two things (hyran and räkningen), it is plural. Just like regular adjectives, past participles get an -a added to the end when they are in the plural form.
Why can't I use the word betalat here, like in jag har betalat?
Betalat is the supine form, which is only used after the verb har (have) to say what someone has done (active). In this sentence, we are using är (are) to describe the condition of the rent and bill (they are in a paid state). For this, you need the past participle (betald/betalt/betalda), which changes its ending to match the subject just like an adjective.
How exactly do you say "both... and" in Swedish?
You use the pair både ... och. It works exactly like "both ... and" in English. You will almost always see både paired up with och later in the sentence.
Why are hyra and räkning in their definite forms (hyran, räkningen)?
Because you are referring to a specific rent and a specific bill. Just like in English where you say "both the rent and the bill", Swedish uses the definite endings -n and -en on the nouns to show this.
Learn Både hyran och räkningen är betalda and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free