Breakdown of Han har långt hår i nacken.
han
he
i
in
ha
to have
lång
long / tall
håret
the hair
nacken
the back of the neck
Questions & Answers about Han har långt hår i nacken.
Why does the sentence use nacken (the neck) instead of hans nacke (his neck)?
When talking about body parts, Swedish usually uses the definite article (like nacken) rather than a possessive pronoun like hans (his). Because the context makes it obvious whose body part it is, saying "the neck" is the most natural way to express this in Swedish.
Why use nacken here instead of halsen for "neck"?
In Swedish, en nacke refers specifically to the back of the neck, which is where this hair grows. En hals refers to the front of the neck or the throat. English often just uses "neck" for both, but you need nacken here to paint the right picture!
Why do we use the preposition i (in) instead of på (on) for "on the back of his neck"?
Prepositions rarely translate directly between languages. In Swedish, hair is considered to be rooted "in" the nape, so you say i nacken. Using på nacken would sound a bit like the hair is an object just resting on top of his neck.
Why is the adjective långt instead of just lång?
The word for hair, hår, is an ett word (ett hår). When you describe an ett word, the adjective must take a -t ending to match. Even though "hair" is usually an uncountable mass noun, it still follows the grammatical rules of an ett word.
Learn Han har långt hår i nacken and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free