Learn Swedish: Passageraren vars nyckelkort är trasigt måste vänta. - The passenger, whose key card is broken, must wait.

vars translates to the relative pronoun whose, linking the passenger to their broken key card. It is a very convenient word for learners because it never changes form. Whether it refers back to an en word, an ett word, a singular noun, or a plural noun, it is always exactly vars.

Since we are talking about a specific key card, why is it nyckelkort and not the definite form nyckelkortet?

In Swedish, whenever a noun directly follows a possessive word (like min, hans, or the relative pronoun vars), that noun must take the indefinite form. Even though the card belongs to a specific passenger, the grammar rule dictates we use vars nyckelkort.

Why does the adjective trasigt end with a -t here?

The adjective trasig (broken) describes the nyckelkort. Because the root word kort is an ett word, the adjective must agree with it by taking the neuter -t ending across the verb är. If the broken item were an en word, like en telefon, it would remain trasig without the -t.

Is vars related to the pronoun var och en being taught in this lesson?