Question 1

Why does billiga have an -a at the end if it means 'the cheap one' (singular)?

Accepted Answer

When you use the independent article den (or det or de), the following adjective must take the definite form, which almost always ends in -a. In Swedish, you can drop the noun completely if it is understood from context. So den billiga simply means 'the cheap one', but the adjective still keeps its definite -a ending because it follows den.

Question 2

How do I know whether to use den billiga or det billiga when saying 'the cheap one'?

Accepted Answer

It depends entirely on the gender of the hidden noun you are referring back to. Because the sentence uses den, we know the speakers are referring to an en-word (like telefonen or bilen). If they had been talking about an ett-word (like huset), they would have used det billiga.

Question 3

What is the difference between trots and trots att?

Accepted Answer

Trots means 'despite' and is followed directly by a noun, like trots priset (despite the price). Trots att means 'even though' and is a subjunction used to introduce a full clause with its own subject and verb. Since garantin är kort is a full clause, you must use trots att.

Question 4

Since garantin is a definite noun (the warranty), why isn't the adjective at the end korta?

Accepted Answer

When an adjective comes after a verb like är to describe a noun, it does not take the definite -a ending. It only matches the gender and number of the noun. Since garantin is a singular en-word, the adjective is simply kort. You only use the -a ending when the adjective is placed directly before the definite noun, like in den korta garantin.

Vi valde den billiga, trots att garantin är kort.

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