Questions & Answers about Den här kistan är klädd i skinn.
Why does the verb form klädd end in -dd?
Klädd is the past participle of the Group 3 verb att klä (to dress/cover). Group 3 verbs end in a long vowel, so to form the past participle for an en word like kistan, you add -dd to the stem.
I thought klä meant 'to dress'. Why is it used for a chest?
While klädd usually means 'dressed' when talking about people, it is also the standard word used for furniture and objects that are upholstered, lined, or covered in a material like fabric or leather.
Why is the noun in the definite form (kistan) after den här?
In Swedish, pointing words like den här (this) and den där (that) must always be followed by the noun in its definite form. So you say den här kistan (literally 'this here the-chest') instead of just den här kista.
Can I use läder instead of skinn here?
Yes, läder also means leather, and klädd i läder would work perfectly fine. Skinn is a slightly broader word that can mean skin, hide, or leather, but for furniture and clothing, it is very commonly used to mean leather.