Breakdown of Galleriet visar bara de samtida konstverken.
de
the (plural, before adjective)
bara
only, just
visa
to show
galleriet
the gallery
Questions & Answers about Galleriet visar bara de samtida konstverken.
Why do we need de before samtida konstverken when the noun is already definite?
This is the Swedish double definite rule. When a definite noun has an adjective in front of it, you must add the freestanding definite article (den, det, or de) before the adjective, even though the noun already has its definite suffix.
Does the adjective samtida change its form for singular or indefinite words?
No, samtida (contemporary) is an indeclinable adjective. Adjectives ending in -ida, like samtida or framtida (future), keep the exact same form regardless of whether the noun is singular, plural, definite, or indefinite.
How can I tell the gender and plural form of konstverken?
In Swedish compound nouns, the final word determines the gender and plural pattern. The word ett verk (a work) is an ett word that doesn't change in the indefinite plural. Therefore, konstverk is also an ett word, and its definite plural adds -en to become konstverken.
If I moved bara to the start of the sentence, would it still mean the same thing?
No, word order matters here. If you say Bara galleriet visar..., it means 'Only the gallery (and no other place) shows...'. By placing bara after the verb, it means the gallery exclusively shows contemporary art, and nothing else.