Breakdown of De gamla mattorna är mycket slitna.
vara
to be
mycket
much / very
mattan
the rug
gammal
old
de
the (plural, before adjective)
sliten
worn
Questions & Answers about De gamla mattorna är mycket slitna.
Why is the word for "worn" spelled slitna and not "slitena"?
The basic form of "worn" is sliten. Because it ends in an unstressed -en, it drops the e when you add the plural -a ending. So, instead of "slitena", it shrinks down to slitna. This dropping of the vowel happens with many adjectives ending in -el, -er, or -en.
I know the word for "old" is gammal. How does it become gamla?
Gammal follows a similar shrinking pattern to sliten, but it has an extra spelling change. It drops its second a, and because Swedish generally avoids having double consonants right before another consonant, it also drops one m. Therefore, gammal + -a becomes gamla.
Why do we use De at the start when mattorna already has the definite ending for "the rugs"?
This is the Swedish "double definite" rule. When you have an adjective (like gamla) describing a specific, definite noun, you need a standalone article before the adjective (De for plurals) AND the definite ending on the noun itself (-orna). Think of it literally as "The old rugs-the".
Doesn't mycket usually mean "much" or "a lot"? How does it mean "very" here?
Yes, mycket is often a quantity word meaning "much" or "a lot". However, when it is placed directly before an adjective like slitna (worn), it acts as an adverb meaning "very".
Learn De gamla mattorna är mycket slitna and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free