Breakdown of Min födelsedag är den elfte mars.
vara
to be
min
my (min/mitt/mina)
den
the (with en-words)
mars
March
födelsedagen
the birthday
elfte
eleventh
Questions & Answers about Min födelsedag är den elfte mars.
Why do we need the word den here?
When saying a specific date, Swedish always uses the definite article den (meaning "the") before the ordinal number. Think of it as saying "the eleventh", just like in English.
Where does the ordinal number elfte come from?
It comes from the number elva (eleven). For numbers between seven and twelve, Swedish ordinal numbers usually end in -te, making words like sjunde, åttonde, and elfte.
Why are there no words for "on" or "of" in this sentence?
In English, you say "on the eleventh of March." Swedish is much simpler here: you just say den elfte mars (literally "the eleventh March"). You do not use a preposition like på (on) or av (of) when stating the date.
Why is the month mars written with a lowercase letter?
Unlike in English, months of the year are never capitalized in Swedish. The same rule applies to days of the week and languages!
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