Breakdown of Hon har ont i båda ögonen.
hon
she
i
in
ha
to have
båda
both (pronoun, e.g. both of them)
ont
pain / hurt
ögat
the eye
Questions & Answers about Hon har ont i båda ögonen.
Why is ögonen in the definite form (the eyes) after båda?
In Swedish, båda (both) is always followed by a noun in the definite form. So, even though English just says "both eyes", Swedish requires båda ögonen (literally "both the eyes").
Can I use båda två here and say Hon har ont i båda två ögonen?
No, that would sound unnatural. You only use båda when it is placed directly before a noun. Båda två is used when "both" stands alone without a noun right after it, like if someone asked "Which eye hurts?" and you replied "Both" (Båda två).
Why does the sentence use har ont i instead of a verb for "hurts"?
The phrase att ha ont i (literally "to have pain in") is the standard Swedish way to express that a body part hurts. While English often says "her eyes hurt," Swedish phrases it as "she has pain in both eyes."
What is the singular form of ögonen?
The word for "eye" is an irregular ett word. The forms are ett öga (an eye), ögat (the eye), ögon (eyes), and ögonen (the eyes).
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