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Snickaren tog sågen själv.

Snickaren tog sågen själv.
The carpenter took the saw himself.
From Lesson 126:Emphatic pronouns (själv, själva)·Swedish

Questions & Answers about Snickaren tog sågen själv.

Why do we use själv here instead of självt or själva?
Själv means "oneself" (in this case, "himself"). It acts a bit like an adjective because it has to agree with the noun it refers to. Since snickaren (the carpenter) is a singular en-word, we use the base form själv. If it referred to an ett-word, it would be självt, and for plural nouns it would be själva.
Can I move själv right after the carpenter, like in English?
Yes, you can say Snickaren själv tog sågen. Both positions are correct but have a slightly different feel. Putting själv at the end emphasizes how the action was done (he did it alone, without help). Putting it right after the noun emphasizes the person (the carpenter himself, not his apprentice, took the saw).
Why do both snickaren and sågen end in -en?
They are both definite ("the") singular nouns that happen to be en-words. The base words are en snickare (a carpenter) and en såg (a saw). To make them definite, we add the suffix to the end. Because snickare already ends in a vowel, it just takes an -n, while såg takes the full -en.
What is the present tense of tog?
Tog (took) is the past tense of the irregular verb att ta (to take). In the present tense, it becomes tar.

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