Breakdown of Jag delar kakan, så du får två tredjedelar.
jag
I
du
you (singular)
kakan
the cake
två
two
så
so
få
to get, receive
dela
to divide / to share
tredjedelen
the third
Questions & Answers about Jag delar kakan, så du får två tredjedelar.
How is the fraction tredjedelar formed?
It is a compound word made of the ordinal number tredje (third) and the plural noun delar (parts). Most fractions in Swedish are built exactly this way: ordinal number + del.
Why does the fraction end in -ar here?
Because you are getting more than one! The word del (part) is a regular en-word, and its plural is delar. So one third is en tredjedel, but two thirds become två tredjedelar.
Are the two instances of delar in this sentence the exact same word?
They look identical and come from the same root, but they have different roles here. In Jag delar, it is a verb in the present tense meaning divide or share. Inside tredjedelar, it is a plural noun meaning parts.
Why isn't the verb flipped to come before the subject after så?
In this sentence, så works as a conjunction meaning so or therefore to connect two independent thoughts. Because of this, the second clause keeps the normal word order with the subject (du) coming right before the verb (får).
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