Breakdown of Gardinen ligger ju på nattduksbordet.
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
ju
as you know / of course
ligga
to lie (be in a horizontal position) / to be located, be situated
gardinen
the curtain
nattduksbordet
the nightstand
Questions & Answers about Gardinen ligger ju på nattduksbordet.
Why do we use ligger here instead of lägger?
ligger is an intransitive verb, meaning it does not take a direct object. It describes the state of the curtain resting on the table (it is lying there). You would use the transitive verb lägger (to lay or put) if someone were actively placing the curtain on the table, like in the sentence Jag lägger gardinen på bordet.
Could I just use är instead of ligger to say the curtain is on the nightstand?
You would be understood if you said Gardinen är på nattduksbordet, but Swedish strongly prefers positional verbs like ligger (lies), står (stands), or sitter (sits) to describe where physical objects are located. Since a curtain rests flat, it ligger.
How does the word ju change the meaning of the sentence?
ju is a small particle used when you expect the listener to already know or agree with what you are saying. Here, it adds a tone of obviously or as you know. It makes the statement sound less like brand new information and more like a gentle reminder about where the curtain is.
Why is there an s in the middle of nattduksbordet?
nattduksbordet (the nightstand) is a compound noun made of nattduk (night-cloth) and bordet (the table). When joining nouns in Swedish, an extra s is often added as a linking sound between the words. The final suffix -et makes it definite (the nightstand) because the root word bord is an ett-word.
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