Breakdown of Vilket blött tält!
tältet
the tent
vilket
which (ett) / what a (ett-word, exclamatory)
blöt
wet
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Questions & Answers about Vilket blött tält!
Doesn't vilket usually mean "which"? Why is it translated as "what a"?
You are right! As a question word, vilket means "which". But when used in an exclamation, vilken, vilket, or vilka translates to "what a" or "what". Because tält (tent) is an ett word, we use the neuter form vilket.
Why does blött end with a double "t"?
The base adjective for "wet" is blöt. When an adjective describes an ett word (a neuter noun) like tält, it needs to take a -t at the end. Because blöt already ends in a "t", it doubles up to become blött, which also shortens the vowel sound when spoken.
Why is it tält and not the definite form tältet?
In Swedish exclamations starting with vilken or vilket, you use the indefinite (basic) form of the noun. It works exactly like English in this case: we say "What a wet tent!" (Vilket blött tält!) rather than "What a wet the tent!".