Breakdown of Den elake kungen tyckte om svärdet.
tycka om
to like
den
the (with en-words)
kungen
the king
svärdet
the sword
elak
mean
Questions & Answers about Den elake kungen tyckte om svärdet.
Why does the adjective end in -e instead of the usual -a in elake?
Usually, adjectives in the definite form end in -a. However, for naturally masculine words like kungen (the king), you can use the masculine ending -e instead. This is a traditional and common way to describe men or male figures in Swedish.
Why do we use both Den and the -en ending on kungen?
This is a great example of the double definite rule. In Swedish, when a definite noun has an adjective in front of it, you must use a separate article word (Den here) and also keep the noun's own definite ending (-en in kungen).
What is the difference between tyckte and tyckte om?
By itself, the verb tycka means to think or to have an opinion. But when you add the little word om, it creates a phrasal verb that means to like. Without om, the sentence would mean the king thought something, rather than liked something.
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