Questions & Answers about Pojkens dåliga betyg var en chock.
Why is the adjective dåliga used here instead of dåligt?
Betyg is an ett-word, so you might normally expect dåligt betyg. However, after a genitive (a word showing ownership, like Pojkens), the adjective must take the definite form. For almost all adjectives, this simply means adding an -a to the end.
Why is the noun just betyg (grade) and not betyget (the grade)?
In Swedish, whenever you use a genitive (like Pojkens) or a possessive word (like min, din, or hans), the noun that belongs to it must be in the indefinite form. It stays as betyg, even though we are talking about a specific grade. The ownership word already makes it definite enough!
How exactly is the word Pojkens put together?
It is made of the definite noun pojken (the boy) plus an -s at the end to show possession. It works exactly like adding an apostrophe and 's' in English to make "the boy's". Just remember that Swedish doesn't use the apostrophe for possession.
Since betyg is an ett-word, how would you say "The boy's bad grades were a shock"?