Breakdown of Börjar sändningen kvart över åtta eller kvart i nio?
börja
to start
eller
or
åtta
eight
nio
nine
över
over / past (in clock times)
kvarten
the quarter
i
to (in clock times)
sändningen
the broadcast
Questions & Answers about Börjar sändningen kvart över åtta eller kvart i nio?
Why doesn't the sentence say en kvart över åtta?
In English, we usually say 'a quarter past', but in Swedish time expressions, you drop the article 'a' (en) and just say kvart över (quarter past) or kvart i (quarter to).
Why is i used in kvart i nio? Doesn't i mean 'in'?
Yes, i usually means 'in'. However, when telling time in Swedish, i is the preposition used for 'to' or 'before' the hour. So kvart i nio literally translates to 'quarter in nine', but means 'a quarter to nine'. For 'past' the hour, you use över.
How do we know Börjar sändningen is a question if there is no helper verb like 'does'?
In Swedish, you form a question by simply putting the verb first. While English uses a helper verb ('Does the broadcast start?'), Swedish just swaps the subject and the verb: Börjar (Starts) sändningen (the broadcast).
Why does sändningen end in -en?
Sändningen is the definite form ('the broadcast') of the word en sändning (a broadcast). Nouns ending in -ning are almost always 'en' words, so they take -en at the end to mean 'the'.
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