Breakdown of Mitt öga är svullet och det gör ont.
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
och
and
göra
to do, to make
min
my (min/mitt/mina)
ont
pain / hurt
ögat
the eye
svullen
swollen
Questions & Answers about Mitt öga är svullet och det gör ont.
Why does the word for swollen end in -et here (svullet)?
The base form of this adjective is svullen. Because it describes öga, which is a neuter (ett) word, the adjective must take the neuter form. For adjectives ending in an unstressed -en, we drop the -n and add -t, changing svullen to svullet.
Why do we use Mitt instead of Min here?
Possessive pronouns must agree with the gender of the noun they belong to. Because öga (eye) is an ett word, you must use the neuter possessive form Mitt.
Even though it is my specific eye, why is öga in the indefinite form instead of the definite form ögat?
In Swedish, a noun must always be in its indefinite form when it comes directly after a possessive pronoun like mitt or min. This is why we say mitt öga and never mitt ögat, even though we are talking about a specific eye.
How does det gör ont mean 'it hurts'?
The expression göra ont is a fixed phrase that literally translates to 'to do pain' or 'to make bad' (ont is the neuter form of ond, meaning bad or painful). It is the standard way to express that a body part hurts in Swedish.
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