Breakdown of Bara medlemmen är tillåten i den exklusiva loungen.
vara
to be
i
in
den
the (with en-words)
bara
only, just
medlemmen
the member
loungen
the lounge
exklusiv
exclusive
tillåten
allowed
Questions & Answers about Bara medlemmen är tillåten i den exklusiva loungen.
Why is bara placed at the very beginning of the sentence?
Focus particles like bara (only) are placed directly before the word or phrase they modify. Here, it focuses on the subject medlemmen. Together, Bara medlemmen acts as the complete subject taking up the first position in the sentence, which keeps the verb är in the correct second position (the V2 rule).
Could we put bara after the verb instead?
You could, but it changes the meaning! If you write Medlemmen är bara tillåten i den exklusiva loungen, it means the member is only allowed in the lounge (perhaps they aren't allowed anywhere else, or they are merely allowed but not required to be there). Placing bara right before medlemmen ensures it means nobody else is allowed.
Why is the word for allowed written as tillåten instead of tillåtet?
Tillåten functions as an adjective here describing medlemmen. Because medlem is an en-word (shown by the -en ending), the adjective takes the common gender form tillåten. If it were describing an ett-word, it would be tillåtet.
Why does it say den exklusiva loungen instead of just exklusiva loungen?
This is a reminder of the Swedish double definiteness rule. When a specific noun (loungen) is described by an adjective (exklusiva), you must also add the freestanding definite article (den for en-words) in front of the phrase.
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