Breakdown of När inkomsten är låg har man mindre mat.
vara
to be
maten
the food
ha
to have
när
when
man
one, you (people in general)
låg
low
mindre
less / smaller
inkomsten
the income
Questions & Answers about När inkomsten är låg har man mindre mat.
Why do we use mindre here instead of färre?
Because mat (food) is an uncountable noun. In Swedish, you use mindre (less) for things you cannot count individually, like water, money, or food. If it were a countable noun, like äpplen (apples), you would use färre (fewer).
Why is the word order har man and not man har?
This is the Swedish V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire phrase När inkomsten är låg (When the income is low) counts as the first piece of information in the main sentence. To keep the main verb in the second position, the verb har must come right after it, swapping places with the subject man.
Does inkomsten mean "income" or "the income"?
It means "the income". It is the definite form of the noun en inkomst. In Swedish, the definite article "the" is attached to the end of the noun, which is why the -en is added here.
Who is man referring to in this sentence?
man is a general pronoun that translates to "one" or the generic "you" in English. It doesn't refer to a specific man, but rather to people in general having less food when their income is low.
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