Breakdown of Barnen kan inte använda sågen själva.
barnet
the child
inte
not
kunna
to be able to, can
använda
to use
Questions & Answers about Barnen kan inte använda sågen själva.
Why do we use själva here instead of själv?
The word for oneself changes to match the subject it refers to. Because the subject barnen (the children) is plural, we have to use the plural form själva instead of the singular själv.
Why is inte placed between kan and använda?
In a standard Swedish main sentence, the negative word inte (not) always goes right after the first verb. Here, kan is the first verb and använda is the second, so inte sits between them.
Does the ending of sågen tell us if saw is an en-word or an ett-word?
Yes! The -en ending on sågen (the saw) shows that såg is an en-word. If it were an ett-word, the definite form would end in -et.
How do we get barnen from the word barn (child)?
Barn is an ett-word, so a child is ett barn. Ett-words that end in a consonant do not change in the plural, so children is also barn. To say the children, you add the plural definite ending -en, making it barnen.