Breakdown of Ett större antal studenter betalade en mindre avgift.
ett
a, an (neuter)
en
a, an (common)
stor
big
studenten
the student
betala
to pay
liten
small
antalet
the number (quantity, amount)
avgiften
the fee
Questions & Answers about Ett större antal studenter betalade en mindre avgift.
Why is större (larger) used here if we aren't comparing the students to another group?
This is called the absolute comparative. In Swedish, the comparative form is often used to express a moderate or significant degree of something without making a direct comparison. Here, ett större antal means a fairly large or significant number, rather than strictly larger than another specific group.
Does en mindre avgift mean the fee was smaller than it used to be?
Not necessarily. Just like större, mindre is used here as an absolute comparative. It simply means a minor or rather small fee. Swedish uses this structure to soften the meaning, showing that the fee is modest but not necessarily being compared to another specific fee.
Why is there no word for 'of' between antal (number) and studenter (students)?
In Swedish, you do not use a preposition like av (of) after words expressing quantity, measure, or numbers. You simply place the noun directly after the quantity word, similar to how you would say en kopp kaffe (a cup of coffee).
Why does the sentence use ett before större but en before mindre?
The articles must match the grammatical gender of the nouns they belong to. Antal is an ett-word, so the phrase is ett större antal. Avgift is an en-word, so it becomes en mindre avgift. Notice that the comparative adjectives större and mindre do not change their endings to match the noun's gender or number, which makes them very easy to use.
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