Breakdown of Hon har samma badmössa som den allra bästa mästaren.
hon
she
ha
to have
den
the (with en-words)
mästaren
the champion
Questions & Answers about Hon har samma badmössa som den allra bästa mästaren.
Why is badmössa in the indefinite form here instead of the definite badmössan?
In Swedish, the word samma (same) acts a bit like an article itself, so it is followed by a noun in the indefinite form. Even though we say 'the same swimming cap' in English, in Swedish you must say samma badmössa, never samma badmössan.
Why does this sentence use som to mean 'as'?
When you are stating that two things are identical using samma (the same), you must pair it with som (as). You use samma... som... for identical matches, whereas you use än (than) when comparing things that are different, like with words ending in -are.
What does the word allra add to the sentence?
Allra is an intensifier used exclusively with superlative adjectives. While den bästa just means 'the best', adding allra in front of it translates to 'the very best'.
Why do we need the word den in den allra bästa mästaren?
This is a great example of the Swedish 'double definite' rule. Because the noun mästaren (the champion) is described by an adjective (bästa), it requires a free-standing definite article before the adjective. Since mästare is an en-word, we use den to build the phrase literally as 'the very best champion-the'.