Breakdown of Vems pyjamas ligger på madrassen i sovsalen?
i
in
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
ligga
to lie (be in a horizontal position) / to be located, be situated
vems
whose (question word)
Questions & Answers about Vems pyjamas ligger på madrassen i sovsalen?
Why is it vems pyjamas instead of the definite form vems pyjamasen?
Whenever you use a genitive (possessive) word like vems (whose), the noun that follows it must be in the indefinite form. Even though we are talking about a specific set of pyjamas, the grammar rule is to drop the definite ending, making it vems pyjamas.
English uses the plural verb for pyjamas. Is pyjamas plural in Swedish too?
No, in Swedish en pyjamas is a singular noun (an en-word). While English treats it as a plural pair, Swedish treats a set of sleepwear as one single item. That is why it acts as a singular subject in this sentence.
Could we use är (is/are) instead of ligger (are lying) to describe where the pyjamas are?
It would sound unnatural to a Swede. Swedish relies heavily on positional verbs like ligger (lies), står (stands), or sitter (sits) to describe where physical objects are located. Because pyjamas are soft and rest flat on a surface, they must take the verb ligger.
How is the word sovsalen built?
It is a compound word made from the root of the verb att sova (to sleep) and the noun en sal (a hall or large room). Put together in the definite form, sovsalen translates to the dormitory or the sleeping hall.