Breakdown of Jag tycker om den slitna vasen.
jag
I
tycka om
to like
den
the (with en-words)
vasen
the vase
sliten
worn
Questions & Answers about Jag tycker om den slitna vasen.
Why is the adjective slitna instead of slitena?
The base form of the adjective for worn is sliten. When an adjective ends in an unstressed -el, -er, or -en, we drop that e when adding the -a ending for plural or definite forms. So, sliten becomes slitna.
Why does the adjective end in -a if vasen is just one single vase?
In Swedish, adjectives get an -a at the end not just for plural words, but also for definite words (when you are talking about a specific thing). Because we are talking about the worn vase (den slitna vasen), the adjective takes its definite form, which is slitna.
Why do we need both den and the -en on the end of vasen?
This is a reminder of the double definiteness rule. When you have a specific noun like vasen and you put an adjective in front of it, Swedish requires a freestanding article too (den for en-words, det for ett-words). You are literally saying the worn vase-the.
Can I just say Jag tycker den slitna vasen?
No, if you drop om, the meaning changes completely. The phrase tycker om means to like something. The verb tycker by itself means to think or to have an opinion.
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