Word
Läkaren förklarar att paret väntar tvillingar.
Meaning
The doctor explains that the couple is expecting twins.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Läkaren förklarar att paret väntar tvillingar.
läkaren
the doctor
vänta
to wait / to expect (a baby)
förklara
to explain
att
that
Questions & Answers about Läkaren förklarar att paret väntar tvillingar.
How does this sentence show indirect speech, and what were the doctor's original words?
The word att (that) links the main action (Läkaren förklarar) to the reported information. The doctor probably said directly to them: Ni väntar tvillingar (You are expecting twins). In indirect speech, the pronoun ni shifts to describing them in the third person as paret (the couple) or de (they).
Does väntar mean wait or expect here?
Both! Väntar usually means to wait, but just like in English, it is the standard verb used for expecting a baby. You use the exact same verb whether you are waiting for the bus or expecting twins.
Why is it läkaren and not läkare?
Läkaren is the definite form, meaning the doctor. Because the base word en läkare (a doctor) already ends in -are, you only add an -n to the end to make it definite, instead of the usual -en.
Why does paret end in -et?
Because par (couple) is an ett-word (ett par). To make an ett-word definite (the couple) when it ends in a consonant, you add -et to the end, resulting in paret.