Breakdown of Studenterna jämförde två romerska imperier.
studenten
the student
två
two
jämföra
to compare
romersk
Roman
Questions & Answers about Studenterna jämförde två romerska imperier.
I see imperier means "empires". What is the singular form, and how does this plural work?
The singular is ett imperium. As a Latin loanword ending in -um, it follows a special rule: to make it plural, you drop the -um and add -er. This is why imperium becomes imperier.
Why is the adjective romerska used instead of romerskt, given that imperium is an ett-word?
Because we are talking about två (two) empires, the noun is in the plural form. In Swedish, adjectives describing plural nouns take the -a ending, regardless of whether the noun is an en-word or an ett-word in the singular.
How would the noun change if the sentence were "The students compared the two Roman empires"?
The phrase would become de två romerska imperierna. For neuter Latin loanwords that take -er in the plural, the definite plural ending (meaning "the") is formed by adding -na. You also add the standalone plural article de because there is an adjective in the phrase.
What is the root of the verb jämförde, and why does it take a -de ending in the past tense?