Word
Pojken klappar katten på ryggen.
Meaning
The boy pats the cat on its back.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Pojken klappar katten på ryggen.
katten
the cat
pojken
the boy
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
klappa
to pat
Questions & Answers about Pojken klappar katten på ryggen.
Why does the Swedish sentence say ryggen (the back) instead of using a word for "its"?
In Swedish, when it is obvious whose body part is being talked about, you usually use the definite form (like ryggen) instead of a possessive pronoun. Using a possessive word here would sound unnatural to a native speaker.
Doesn't klappar usually mean "to clap"?
It does, but it is also the standard verb for "to pet" or "to pat" an animal. When Swedes mean "clap", they usually specify the hands, like klappar händerna. In this context, klappar katten just means petting the cat.
Why is there no preposition directly after the verb, like "pats on the cat"?
Just like in English where you "pet the cat", Swedish uses the verb klappar directly with the object (katten). The preposition på in this sentence belongs entirely to the location phrase på ryggen (on the back).