Breakdown of Det finns en bänk på trottoaren framför apoteket.
en
a, an (common)
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
apoteket
the pharmacy
det finns
there is, there are
framför
in front of / over (in preference to)
trottoaren
the sidewalk
bänken
the bench
Questions & Answers about Det finns en bänk på trottoaren framför apoteket.
Why does the sentence start with det finns instead of där är for "there is"?
In Swedish, det finns is the fixed expression for "there is" or "there are" when you are talking about existence (the fact that something is located somewhere). If you used där är, it would specifically mean "over there is", as if you were pointing at a location.
Does det mean "it" in this sentence?
Literally, yes, but here it acts as a "dummy subject". Swedish grammar requires a sentence to have a subject in the first or second position. When we just want to say that something exists, det steps in as an empty placeholder to fill that subject slot, exactly like the word "there" does in the English phrase "there is".
Why do the words for "the sidewalk" (trottoaren) and "the pharmacy" (apoteket) end differently?
This is a quick reminder about noun groups! Trottoar is an en-word, so we add -en to the end to make it "the sidewalk". Apotek is an ett-word, so we add -et to make it "the pharmacy".
Why do we use the preposition på before trottoaren?
In Swedish, you generally use på (on) for flat public surfaces that you walk or drive on. This includes streets (en gata), squares (ett torg), and sidewalks (en trottoar).
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