Breakdown of Grannen var otacksam när jag hjälpte honom.
jag
I
vara
to be
hjälpa
to help
honom
him
när
when
grannen
the neighbor
otacksam
ungrateful
Questions & Answers about Grannen var otacksam när jag hjälpte honom.
How does the negative prefix o- work in the word otacksam?
The prefix o- works just like "un-", "in-", or "dis-" in English. It attaches directly to an adjective to give it the opposite meaning. Here, it attaches to tacksam (grateful) to create otacksam (ungrateful).
What is the function of the -sam suffix in otacksam?
The suffix -sam is used to turn nouns or verbs into adjectives, similar to "-ful" or "-some" in English. Here, it attaches to the noun tack (thanks) to make tacksam (thankful/grateful).
Why is the adjective otacksam not written with a -t at the end (otacksamt)?
Adjectives must agree with the gender of the noun they describe. Grannen (the neighbor) is an en-word, so the adjective takes the basic form otacksam. If the sentence was about an ett-word, like barnet (the child), it would become otacksamt.
Why is the past tense of hjälpa spelled hjälpte instead of hjälpde?
Hjälpa is a Group 2 verb. Normally, Group 2 verbs take the past tense ending -de, but because the root of hjälpa ends in the sharp, breathy consonant "p", it's physically hard to pronounce a soft "d" right after it. Therefore, the ending changes to -te to make it easier to say.
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