Breakdown of Ägaren vars hund har svart päls är nervös.
vara
to be
hunden
the dog
ha
to have
svart
black
nervös
nervous
vars
whose
ägaren
the owner
pälsen
the fur
Questions & Answers about Ägaren vars hund har svart päls är nervös.
Does vars change form if it refers to an ett-word or a plural noun?
No, vars is completely unchangeable. Whether the owner is singular or plural, or the thing being owned is an en-word, ett-word, or plural, you will always use vars for "whose".
Why do we say vars hund instead of vars hunden?
In Swedish, whenever you use a possessive word (like min, hans, or vars), the noun that belongs to it must be in the bare indefinite form. That means no article (en or ett) in front, and no definite ending (-en or -et) at the end.
Does the V2 (verb-second) rule still apply here? It feels like är is very far back in the sentence.
Yes, the V2 rule is in full effect! The entire phrase Ägaren vars hund har svart päls counts as one big subject block (position 1). The main verb of the sentence is är, which sits perfectly in position 2 right after that whole subject block.
Why do we use the form nervös here instead of adding a -t or -a?
Adjectives must match the noun they describe. The adjective nervös describes Ägaren (the owner). Because ägare is an en-word, the adjective takes the basic en-word form, nervös.
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