Breakdown of Pojken har smutsiga fingrar på båda händerna.
pojken
the boy
ha
to have
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
smutsig
dirty
handen
the hand
båda
both (pronoun, e.g. both of them)
fingret
the finger
Questions & Answers about Pojken har smutsiga fingrar på båda händerna.
Why is it båda händerna instead of just båda händer?
In Swedish, the word båda (both) requires the noun following it to be in the definite form. Even though we say "both hands" in English, Swedish says båda händerna (literally: "both the hands").
Could I say båda två händerna in this sentence?
It is grammatically possible, but båda två is most often used as a standalone pronoun when the noun is dropped, like saying "I want both" (Jag vill ha båda två). When the noun is included right after it, just båda is much more natural.
Why does the adjective smutsiga end in an -a?
Because it describes the plural noun fingrar (fingers). In Swedish, adjectives get an -a added to the end when they describe plural nouns, regardless of whether the noun is an en-word or an ett-word.
The singular is ett finger, so shouldn't the plural just be finger?
Normally, ett-words ending in a consonant don't change in the plural. However, ett finger is an irregular exception. Its plural form is fingrar (fingers), taking an ending that usually belongs to en-words.
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