Breakdown of Är du kär i den där trevliga killen?
vara
to be
du
you (singular)
trevlig
nice (pleasant, friendly)
den där
that (en)
killen
the guy
kär i
in love with
Questions & Answers about Är du kär i den där trevliga killen?
Why do we use i instead of med for "with" here?
In Swedish, the expression for "in love with" is kär i. Adjective and preposition combinations often don't translate word-for-word between English and Swedish, so it is best to learn them as a set phrase. Saying kär med would sound very unnatural to a native speaker!
Why is it killen (the guy) instead of just kille (guy) after den där?
Swedish uses "double definiteness" with demonstrative pronouns like den här (this) and den där (that). This means you must use the definite form of the noun (killen) even though den där already points to a specific person. Literally, the structure translates to "that there nice the guy."
Why does the adjective end in -a (trevliga)?
Because the entire noun phrase is definite (triggered by den där), any adjectives inside it must also take their definite form. For most adjectives, including trevlig, the definite form is made by simply adding an -a to the end.
What is the difference between being kär i someone and using the verb älska?
The phrase kär i specifically means "in love with" or "having a crush on" someone, usually describing the earlier, butterflies-in-the-stomach phase of a romantic relationship. The verb älska means "to love" and describes a deeper, more established bond. You can also älska your family and friends, but you can only be kär i someone romantically.
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