Word
Fågeln är död.
Meaning
The bird is dead.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
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Questions & Answers about Fågeln är död.
How can I tell from this sentence whether fågel is an en-word or an ett-word?
You can tell it is an en-word because it ends with -n in its definite form (fågeln). If it were an ett-word, it would end in -t or -et.
Why is the adjective död used here instead of dött or döda?
Adjectives in Swedish must match the noun they describe. Because fågeln is a singular en-word, the adjective takes its basic form död. If the subject were an ett-word like djuret (the animal), it would be dött, and if there were multiple birds, it would be döda.
Does the word fågeln drop a letter when it changes form? I know some Swedish words ending in -el do.
In the singular definite form used here (fågeln), the letter 'e' stays. However, you are right to be careful! When you make it plural (fåglar, meaning birds), the 'e' drops out.
Is död an adjective or a noun here? I have seen it used as a noun before.
In this sentence, död is an adjective describing the bird, meaning dead. However, you are correct that en död is also a noun meaning a death. You can tell it is an adjective here because it comes right after är (is) to describe the physical state of the bird.