Breakdown of Det här sagoväsendet är mycket blygt.
vara
to be
mycket
much / very
det här
this (ett)
blyg
shy
sagoväsendet
the fairy tale creature
Questions & Answers about Det här sagoväsendet är mycket blygt.
Why does the word saga (fairy tale) change to sago- in sagoväsendet?
This is a compound word made of saga and väsende (creature). In Swedish, when a noun ending in -a becomes the first part of a compound word, the -a usually changes to an -o. This -o acts as a linking vowel to make the word flow better. You have likely seen this before in words like veckoslut (weekend, from vecka) or kyrkogård (cemetery, from kyrka).
Why is the noun in its definite form (sagoväsendet) when the English translation just says 'This fairy tale creature'?
In Swedish, the demonstrative pronouns den här and det här (this) must always be followed by a noun in the definite form. Literally, Swedish says 'this the fairy tale creature'. It is a very common rule to forget, but an important pattern to practice!
I learned that the word for creature is ett väsen. Why does it look like väsende here?
Swedish actually has two interchangeable versions of this word: ett väsen and ett väsende. They mean the exact same thing. Here, it uses the form väsende, which naturally becomes väsendet in the definite form. Fun fact: the definite form of ett väsen is also usually väsendet, so the two words merge in this form anyway!
Why does the adjective blyg (shy) have a -t at the end?
Adjectives in Swedish must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because sagoväsendet is an ett-word (indicated by det här and the -t ending), the adjective blyg takes its ett-word form by adding a -t, becoming blygt.
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