Breakdown of Fönstret är öppet, men glaset är sprucket.
vara
to be
fönstret
the window
glaset
the glass
men
but
öppen
open
sprucken
cracked
Questions & Answers about Fönstret är öppet, men glaset är sprucket.
Why are the adjectives öppet and sprucket instead of öppent and spruckent?
The dictionary forms of these words are öppen and sprucken. When describing a neuter noun (an ett word) like fönster or glas, you normally add a -t to the adjective. However, if the adjective ends in an unstressed -en, it drops the -n and just becomes -et. So öppen becomes öppet.
The nouns fönstret and glaset are definite. Shouldn't the adjectives take the definite ending -a (öppna, spruckna)?
No, because they appear after the verb är to describe the nouns, rather than right in front of them. When an adjective is used this way, it must agree with the noun's gender and number (taking the neuter -t here), but it never takes the definite -a ending. You only use the -a when describing a definite noun directly, like in det öppna fönstret (the open window).
Is sprucket related to a verb?
Yes! It comes from sprucken, which is the past participle of the strong verb att spricka (to crack or burst). Past participles function exactly like adjectives in Swedish, so they follow the exact same rule: changing the unstressed -en to -et for neuter words.
Why do both fönstret and öppet end in -et? Are they the same ending?
They look the same, but they do entirely different grammatical jobs! The -et on fönstret is the definite article for a neuter noun, turning ett fönster into fönstret (the window). The -et on öppet is the neuter agreement ending for an adjective.
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