Breakdown of Finns det en toalett bakom kiosken?
en
a, an (common)
det finns
there is, there are
bakom
behind
toaletten
the toilet
kiosken
the kiosk
Questions & Answers about Finns det en toalett bakom kiosken?
Why does the sentence start with Finns det instead of Det finns?
Because it is a yes/no question! In Swedish, to turn a statement like Det finns en toalett (There is a toilet) into a question, you simply swap the verb (finns) and the dummy subject (det).
I know är means "is", so why can't I ask Är det en toalett?
If you ask Är det en toalett?, you are asking "Is that a toilet?" (for example, if you are pointing at a strange-looking building). To ask if a toilet exists in a certain location ("Is there a toilet?"), Swedish always uses Finns det.
What does the verb finns actually mean on its own?
Finns is the present tense of att finnas, which means "to exist" or "to be located". So Finns det en toalett? translates literally to "Exists it a toilet?".
Why is there an -en at the end of kiosken?
That -en ending is how Swedish forms the definite article for en-words. It turns the basic noun kiosk into kiosken, which means "the kiosk".
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