Breakdown of Inga mobiler tillåts när maten serveras.
maten
the food
när
when
mobilen
the cell phone
inga
no (plural)
servera
to serve
tillåta
to allow
Questions & Answers about Inga mobiler tillåts när maten serveras.
Both tillåts and serveras end in -s. What does this do to the meaning?
This is the s-passive form, which is perfect for rules and general statements like this one. It changes the meaning from "someone allows" or "someone serves" to "are allowed" and "is served". It focuses on the action happening rather than who is doing it.
How do you build the passive forms tillåts and serveras?
To make the present tense s-passive, you start with the regular present tense verb. For a verb like serverar (serves), you drop the -r and add -s to get serveras. For verbs that end in -er in the present tense, like tillåter (allows), you drop the whole -er and add -s, which gives us tillåts.
Why does the sentence start with Inga instead of Inte?
Inga is used directly before plural nouns to mean "no" or "zero", just like "no mobile phones" in English. Inte means "not" and works with verbs. You could state the exact same rule using inte by rearranging it to: Mobiler tillåts inte (Mobile phones are not allowed).
Is mobiler the standard word for cell phones in Swedish?
Yes, en mobil is the most common and natural way to say "a cell phone" or "a mobile phone" in Swedish. Mobiler is the plural form. You will also see the longer word mobiltelefoner, but mobiler is the shortcut people use in everyday life.
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