Breakdown of De flesta konsumenter vill ha hållbar konsumtion.
ha
to have
vilja
to want to
konsumenten
the consumer
de flesta
most (countable)
hållbar
sustainable
konsumtionen
the consumption
Questions & Answers about De flesta konsumenter vill ha hållbar konsumtion.
Why is it konsumenter (indefinite) when it has De in front of it?
The phrase de flesta means 'most' (as in a majority). Even though it starts with de (which usually makes the following noun definite), the set phrase de flesta always requires the indefinite plural form of the noun. So 'most consumers' is de flesta konsumenter, not de flesta konsumenterna.
Why is it vill ha instead of just vill for 'want'?
In Swedish, vill is a helper verb used for actions, meaning 'want to do something'. Because hållbar konsumtion is a noun phrase, not an action, you have to use vill ha (literally 'want to have') whenever you want a physical thing or a concept.
How does the word hållbar mean 'sustainable'?
The adjective hållbar is built from the verb hålla (to hold or last) and the suffix -bar (which means '-able', just like in English). Together they mean 'durable' or 'able to last', which is the standard Swedish term for 'sustainable' in environmental contexts.
Why isn't the adjective written as hållbart or hållbara in this sentence?
Adjectives must match the noun they describe. The word konsumtion is an en-word, and it is used in its singular, indefinite form here. Therefore, the adjective takes the basic en-word form hållbar rather than the ett-word form (hållbart) or the plural/definite form (hållbara).
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