Breakdown of Maskinen startas klockan kvart över tio.
klockan
the clock
maskinen
the machine
tio
ten
starta
to start (a machine, engine, business)
över
over / past (in clock times)
kvarten
the quarter
Questions & Answers about Maskinen startas klockan kvart över tio.
How does the time phrase kvart över tio work, and do I need to use the word klockan with it?
Kvart means "quarter" and över means "past", so kvart över tio is literally "quarter past ten". Adding klockan (the clock) right before it is the standard way to say "at" a specific time in Swedish.
English uses the preposition "at" for time, like "at a quarter past ten". Why is there no preposition here?
In Swedish, you don't need a preposition like "at" before clock times. Just saying klockan followed by the time is entirely enough to express "at [time]".
Why is there an -s at the end of startas?
That -s ending creates the passive voice. The active present tense verb is startar (starts), but because the machine isn't starting itself—someone else is starting it—we drop the -r and add -s to make the passive form startas, meaning "is started".
Is maskinen an en-word or an ett-word?
It is an en-word (en maskin). To say "the machine", we attach the definite suffix -en to the end, giving us maskinen.
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