Breakdown of Ingen tror att grannen är ond.
vara
to be
tro
to believe
grannen
the neighbor
ingen
no, none (en-word)
Questions & Answers about Ingen tror att grannen är ond.
Why is tror used here instead of tycker for "thinks"?
In Swedish, tror means to believe something is true without knowing for sure, or to make an assumption. tycker is used for subjective opinions based on personal experience. Since people are making a factual assumption about the neighbour's true nature rather than expressing a subjective taste, tror is the correct choice.
Why does the sentence use Ingen instead of Inget for "Nobody"?
Ingen is the form used for en-words and when referring directly to people to mean "nobody" or "no one". Inget is used for ett-words or to mean the concept of "nothing". Since we are talking about people holding a belief, Ingen is required.
Why is the definite form grannen and not granneen?
The base word is en granne (a neighbour). Because the singular noun already ends in a vowel (-e), you only add an -n to make it definite ("the neighbour"), instead of adding the full -en ending.
Would the word ond change if the sentence was about a child (ett barn)?