Breakdown of Var och en checkar in sin resväska.
sin
his/her/its/their own (en-word)
resväskan
the suitcase
var och en
each one
checka in
to check in
Questions & Answers about Var och en checkar in sin resväska.
Why is the verb checkar singular when var och en refers to multiple people?
Just like "each one" in English, var och en is grammatically singular. Even though it refers to a group, it focuses on the individuals one by one. This is also why it pairs with the singular reflexive pronoun sin.
The English translation says "their suitcase", so why use sin instead of deras?
English often uses "their" as a gender-neutral singular pronoun. But in Swedish, because the subject var och en is acting on its own suitcase, you must use the reflexive possessive sin. If you used deras, it would mean each person is checking in a suitcase belonging to some other group of people!
Does the en in var och en have anything to do with resväska being an en-word?
No, var och en is a fixed phrase for "each one" or "everyone" when referring to people. It stays the same regardless of the objects they interact with. If you were talking about "each one" of a group of ett-words (like houses), you would use the equivalent: vart och ett.
Why doesn't resväska have the definite ending -n since we are talking about specific suitcases?
In Swedish, a noun following a possessive pronoun like sin, min, or deras must always be in the bare, indefinite form. Therefore, it is always sin resväska, never sin resväskan.
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