Word
Hälften av kläderna är begagnade, men de är fina.
Meaning
Half of the clothes are used, but they are fine.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Hälften av kläderna är begagnade, men de är fina.
vara
to be
de
they
fin
nice
kläderna
the clothes
Questions & Answers about Hälften av kläderna är begagnade, men de är fina.
Why does hälften av use the definite noun kläderna, when this lesson says de flesta takes an indefinite noun?
That is a very important difference to remember! De flesta (most) attaches directly to an indefinite plural noun, like de flesta kläder (most clothes). However, hälften (the half) works like a noun followed by a preposition: hälften av kläderna (the half of the clothes). Because it refers to a portion of a specific, known group of things, the noun after av must take the definite form.
Why is begagnade in the plural form if hälften is a singular word?
Even though hälften (the half) is grammatically singular, the adjective begagnade (used) describes the actual items being talked about, which is the plural noun kläderna (the clothes). Because the clothes are plural, the adjective takes the plural ending.
Does fina just mean "fine" as in "acceptable" or "okay"?
It usually means a bit more than that. While it translates well to "fine" in English, fin in Swedish often means "nice," "pretty," or "in good condition." Here, it is used to emphasize that even though the clothes are used, they still look great and are of good quality.
Just as a quick refresher, how should I pronounce the word de in this sentence?