Questions & Answers about Vi sorterar cyklarna innan vi förvarar dem i källaren.
Why is it cyklarna and not "cykelarna"?
The singular word for bicycle is cykel. Because it ends in an unstressed -el, it drops the e when we add the plural ending -ar. This makes the plural cyklar (bicycles). To say "the bicycles", we add the definite plural ending -na, giving us cyklarna.
Could I use före instead of innan for "before" in this sentence?
No, because innan is a conjunction used to introduce a new clause with its own subject and verb (innan vi förvarar...). The word före is a preposition used directly before a noun, like in the phrase före lunch (before lunch).
How is the word dem pronounced here?
Even though it is spelled dem, it is almost always pronounced as "dom" in spoken Swedish. You might even see native speakers write it as dom in casual texts, but dem is the grammatically correct spelling for "them".
The basic word for basement is källare. Why is it källaren here?