Breakdown of Vem är den allra populäraste sångaren i världen?
vara
to be
vem
who
i
in
den
the (with en-words)
världen
the world
allra
the very
populär
popular
sångaren
the singer
Questions & Answers about Vem är den allra populäraste sångaren i världen?
What exactly does allra add to this sentence?
Allra is an adverb used to intensify a superlative adjective. While den populäraste just means "the most popular", adding allra makes it den allra populäraste, which means "the very most popular" or "the absolute most popular". It always sits immediately before the superlative word it describes.
Why does populäraste end in -e here instead of being populärast?
Because the phrase is definite! The base superlative form is populärast (most popular). However, when you use the freestanding definite article den and the definite noun sångaren, the adjective must also take its definite form. For superlatives ending in -ast, the definite form adds an -e, making it populäraste.
Why do we need both den and the -en ending on sångaren?
This is a great reminder of the Swedish "double definite" rule. When an adjective modifies a definite noun (like sångaren, which already has the definite -en ending on it), you cannot just say populäraste sångaren. You must also add the freestanding definite article in front of the adjective, which is den in this case.
Is världen a definite noun too?
Yes! The root word is en värld (a world). Adding the -en suffix makes it världen (the world). Just like in English, Swedish uses the preposition i (in) for this phrase: i världen (in the world).
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