Breakdown of Ersättningen täcker det förstörda bordet.
bordet
the table
det
the (with ett-words)
förstörd
destroyed
ersättningen
the compensation
täcka
to cover
Questions & Answers about Ersättningen täcker det förstörda bordet.
Why is it "förstörda" instead of "förstört"? Isn't "bord" an ett-word?
You are right that bord is an ett-word, so the basic past participle is förstört (for example: ett förstört bord). However, because we are saying "the destroyed table", the participle acts like a regular adjective in the definite form. Definite adjectives take an -a at the end, so it becomes det förstörda bordet.
Why do we have both "det" and "bordet"? Doesn't "bordet" already mean "the table"?
Yes, it does! This is a great time to review the Swedish "double definite" rule. When you add an adjective (or a past participle acting as an adjective, like förstörda) to a definite noun, you must use a standalone article in front (det, den, or de) and keep the noun's definite ending at the same time.
How do we form the past participle from the verb "förstöra" (to destroy)?
Förstöra is a group 2 verb. To make its past participle, we take the stem (förstör-) and add -d for en-words (förstörd) or -t for ett-words (förstört). As we saw above, when used with a definite noun or a plural noun, we add -a to get förstörda.
Does "täcker" mean "covers" financially or physically?
It can mean both, exactly like in English! The verb täcka can mean physically covering something (like putting a cloth over a table) or financially covering a cost, which is what ersättningen (the compensation) is doing here.
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