Breakdown of Tricket är konstigt, och publiken förstår det inte.
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
och
and
inte
not
Questions & Answers about Tricket är konstigt, och publiken förstår det inte.
Why is it förstår det inte instead of förstår inte det?
This is the rule of object pronoun shift! In a simple main clause, an unstressed object pronoun like det (it) jumps in front of inte (not). If the object were a full noun, it would stay after inte, like this: publiken förstår inte tricket.
Could I ever say förstår inte det?
Yes, but only if you put strong emphasis on det. If you want to say "the audience doesn't understand THAT" (pointing out a specific thing), the pronoun is stressed and stays after inte. Because it is just a normal, unstressed "it" here, it must shift before inte.
Why does konstigt end in -t?
Adjectives have to match the noun they describe. Because tricket comes from an ett-word (ett trick), the adjective konstig gets a -t added to the end.
Is publiken plural here?
No, publiken is singular. It is the definite form of en publik (an audience). Even though an audience is made up of many people, the word itself is grammatically singular, just like in English.