Breakdown of Han använder sin gräsklippare och inkräktar på hennes tomt.
han
he
och
and
hennes
her (possessive)
sin
his/her/its/their own (en-word)
använda
to use
gräsklipparen
the lawnmower
inkräkta på
to encroach on
tomten
the yard
Questions & Answers about Han använder sin gräsklippare och inkräktar på hennes tomt.
Why do we use sin for the lawnmower but hennes for the yard?
sin is a reflexive possessive pronoun, meaning it reflects back to the subject of the sentence, which is Han (He). So he is using his own lawnmower. hennes (her) refers to a different person who is not the subject. If he were encroaching on his own yard, the sentence would instead say sin tomt.
Why is it sin rather than sitt or sina?
The form of the reflexive possessive must match the gender and number of the noun it describes. gräsklippare is a singular en-word, so we use sin. If he were using a singular ett-word like ett verktyg (a tool), it would be sitt verktyg, and for plural items it would be sina.
Does inkräktar always take the preposition på?
Yes, when you specify what is being encroached upon, invaded, or trespassed on, you use the preposition på. It translates directly to the English phrases encroaches on or intrudes upon.
How does the word gräsklippare break down?
It is a compound of gräs (grass) and klippare (cutter or clipper). The word klippare comes from the verb att klippa (to cut). Just like in English, adding the suffix -are (similar to -er) turns the verb into the machine or person performing the action.
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