Word
Äktenskapet är en lång relation.
Meaning
The marriage is a long relationship.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Äktenskapet är en lång relation.
vara
to be
en
a, an (common)
lång
long / tall
relationen
the relationship
Questions & Answers about Äktenskapet är en lång relation.
Why does äktenskapet end in -et when many other words ending in -skap are en words?
Nouns ending in the suffix -skap (similar to the English suffixes '-ship' or '-hood') can be either en or ett words, and you generally have to memorize their gender. While concepts like en vänskap (a friendship) and en kunskap (a knowledge) are en words, ett äktenskap (a marriage) and ett sällskap (a company) are ett words. The -et at the end of äktenskapet is the definite article, making it 'the marriage'.
What is the root word of äktenskap?
It is built from the adjective äkta, which means genuine, authentic, or true. In historical and legal contexts, it also means marital or legitimate. By adding the noun-forming suffix -skap, it translates literally to something like 'genuine-ship' or 'marital-ship', giving us the modern word for marriage.
Since äktenskapet is an ett word, why isn't the adjective written as långt?