Breakdown of Vilken diskmaskin letar ni efter, den billiga eller den dyra?
ni
you (plural, subject)
vilken
which (en) / what a (en-word, exclamatory)
billig
cheap
eller
or
dyr
expensive
den
the (with en-words)
leta efter
to look for (physical items, everyday)
diskmaskinen
the dishwasher
Questions & Answers about Vilken diskmaskin letar ni efter, den billiga eller den dyra?
How do you say "one" in den billiga (the cheap one)?
You don't! In English, we use "one" as a placeholder so the adjective doesn't sit by itself. Swedish doesn't need a placeholder. You just use the standalone definite article (den) and the definite form of the adjective (billiga). The noun (diskmaskin) is understood from context and simply left out.
Why do billiga and dyra end in -a here?
Because they are in the definite form. When you use an adjective with a definite article like den to mean "the [adjective] one", the adjective must take the definite -a ending. It behaves exactly as if the noun were still there (as in den billiga diskmaskinen).
Why does efter come after ni instead of right after letar?
Leta efter (to look for) is a phrasal verb, but Swedish word order rules still apply. Because this is a question starting with a question phrase (Vilken diskmaskin), the verb (letar) must take the second position. The subject (ni) must follow the verb immediately, which pushes the preposition (efter) to the next available spot.
Why is it vilken diskmaskin and not vilket diskmaskin?
Because diskmaskin is an en-word (en maskin). The question word must match the gender of the noun: vilken for en-words, vilket for ett-words, and vilka for plurals. This is also why we use den instead of det later in the sentence for "the cheap one".
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