Breakdown of Den nya livsstilen är dels krävande, dels rolig.
vara
to be
rolig
fun
ny
new
den
the (with en-words)
krävande
demanding
livsstilen
the lifestyle
dels
partly (in dels ..., dels ...)
Questions & Answers about Den nya livsstilen är dels krävande, dels rolig.
How does the dels ..., dels ... structure work here?
It translates to "partly ..., partly ..." or "on the one hand ..., on the other hand ...". In this sentence, it connects two contrasting qualities about the lifestyle. You must always use them as a pair to balance two different factors or reasons.
Could I replace the second dels with och (and)?
No, dels is a correlative conjunction, meaning it relies on being paired with another dels. If you just wanted to say "partly demanding and fun" without balancing two separate distinct points, you would use the adverb delvis instead: delvis krävande och rolig.
Why do we say Den nya livsstilen instead of just Den nya livsstil?
This is a classic example of Swedish "double definiteness", which is always good to review. When you have a specific noun (the lifestyle) described by an adjective (new), you need three things: the freestanding article (Den), the adjective with an -a ending (nya), and the definite suffix attached to the noun itself (-en in livsstilen).
Why doesn't krävande change its form to match the noun like normal adjectives do?
Both adjectives describe livsstilen (an en-word, which is why rolig is in its basic form). However, krävande (demanding) is a present participle, which is a verb acting as an adjective. These words always end in -ande or -ende in Swedish and never change their ending to match the noun's gender or plurality.
Learn Den nya livsstilen är dels krävande, dels rolig and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free