Breakdown of Du kan se den långa trappan från den mörka gränden.
du
you (singular)
kunna
to be able to, can
se
to see
från
from
lång
long / tall
mörk
dark
den
the (with en-words)
gränden
the alley
trappan
the staircase
Questions & Answers about Du kan se den långa trappan från den mörka gränden.
Why is it den långa trappan instead of just den långa trappa?
Swedish uses double definiteness. When you have a specific noun described by an adjective, you must use the independent article (den) AND the noun's definite ending (-n in trappan).
Is gränden a plural form with a mutated vowel?
No, gränden is actually singular here, meaning the alley. The base word is en gränd, which already has an ä in its stem. Its plural is gränder, so the vowel stays exactly the same.
Why do the adjectives lång and mörk both end in -a here?
When an adjective describes a definite noun, it must take the definite ending. For almost all adjectives, this definite ending is -a, regardless of whether the noun is an en-word or an ett-word.
Does trappan mean one step or the whole staircase?
En trappa refers to the entire staircase or flight of stairs. If you need to talk about just a single stair or step, you would use the word ett trappsteg.
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