Breakdown of Står det ett tomt glas på brickan?
ett
a, an (neuter)
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
glaset
the glass
tom
empty
det
there (dummy subject)
stå
to stand
brickan
the tray
Questions & Answers about Står det ett tomt glas på brickan?
Why use Står det instead of "Finns det" or "Är det" for "Is there"?
In English, we say "Is there an empty glass...". In Swedish, if an object has a typical physical position, we usually use a verb of position like stå (to stand), ligga (to lie), or sitta (to sit) alongside the placeholder det. Because a glass typically rests upright on its base, we use står.
Why does det come right after the verb Står?
In a statement, the placeholder subject det comes first: Det står ett tomt glas... (There is an empty glass standing...). Because this is a yes/no question, the verb (Står) and the subject (det) swap places, putting the verb first.
Why does the word for empty, tomt, end with a "t"?
Adjectives in Swedish have to match the gender of the noun they describe. Because glas is an ett word (ett glas), the adjective tom (empty) must take the neuter -t ending to become tomt.
How do we know brickan means "the tray" instead of "a tray"?
The basic noun for "a tray" is en bricka. To say "the tray", Swedish attaches the definite ending to the end of the word. Since bricka is an en word that already ends in a vowel, you just add -n to make it brickan.
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