Learn Swedish: Osten skärs och serveras med brödet. - The cheese is cut and served with the bread.

To make a verb passive (meaning the subject has something done to it, rather than doing the action), we usually add an -s to the verb. For most verbs in the present tense, like serverar (serves), we drop the final -r and add -s to get serveras (is served). However, for verbs whose stem ends in an -r, like skär (cuts), we simply add the -s directly to get skärs (is cut).

Why use the s-passive here instead of just saying someone cuts the cheese?

The s-passive is the standard way to write recipes, instructions, and rules in Swedish. It allows the writer to focus completely on the action and the ingredients, rather than on who is actually doing the cooking or serving.

Why is it osten and brödet instead of just ost and bröd?

In Swedish recipes or dining instructions, once an ingredient has been introduced, we switch to the definite form (the cheese, the bread). Ost is an en-word, so it becomes osten, while bröd is an ett-word, so it becomes brödet.

Does skärs change depending on whether the subject is an en-word like osten or an ett-word like brödet?