Breakdown of Är det där kriteriet orimligt?
vara
to be
det där
that (ett)
orimlig
unreasonable
kriteriet
the criterion
Questions & Answers about Är det där kriteriet orimligt?
Is det in this sentence the formal object we're learning about?
No, this sentence doesn't actually use a formal object! Here, det is part of the demonstrative phrase det där (that), which points to a specific noun. A formal object is a placeholder for a longer clause, like in Jag anser det orimligt att... (I consider it unreasonable to...). It's important to recognize when det is just pointing at a noun versus when it's acting as a placeholder.
How do we get the form kriteriet from the base word ett kriterium?
Swedish words ending in -um (which are mostly loanwords like ett centrum or ett museum) drop the -um when forming the definite version. You then add the standard ett-word definite ending -et. So ett kriterium becomes kriteriet. Because we used the pointing phrase det där (that), Swedish grammar requires this noun to be in its definite form.
Why does orimligt end in a -t?
Adjectives must agree with the noun they describe. Since ett kriterium is a neuter noun (an ett-word), the adjective gets the neuter -t ending. If you were talking about an en-word instead, like en regel (a rule), you would drop the -t and ask: Är den där regeln orimlig?
What does the prefix o- do in orimligt?
It works just like the prefix 'un-' in English. The base word is rimlig, which means 'reasonable' or 'plausible.' Adding o- makes it the opposite: orimlig (unreasonable).
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