Breakdown of Hon skrev ett brev till sin älskling.
ett
a, an (neuter)
brevet
the letter
skriva
to write
till
to (direction, destination)
sin
his/her/its/their own (en-word)
älsklingen
the darling, the sweetheart
Questions & Answers about Hon skrev ett brev till sin älskling.
Why is it sin älskling and not hennes älskling?
In Swedish, you must use the reflexive possessive pronoun sin (or sitt / sina) when the subject of the clause owns the object. Because Hon (She) is the subject and she is writing to her own sweetheart, it has to be sin. If you used hennes, it would mean she was writing to some other woman's sweetheart!
How does the word älskling get its meaning?
It comes from the verb älska (to love). The suffix -ling is often added to verbs or adjectives to describe a person associated with that trait. So an älskling is someone who is loved, meaning a sweetheart or darling.
Is skrev a regular or irregular verb?
It is an irregular strong verb. The infinitive is skriva (to write), the present tense is skriver, the past tense is skrev, and the supine form used with have or had is skrivit. Notice how the vowel changes from i to e to i.
Could I use för instead of till here?
No, you need till when expressing the recipient of an action, like sending a letter to someone. You would only use för in this context if you were writing the letter on behalf of her sweetheart, rather than sending it to them.
Learn Hon skrev ett brev till sin älskling and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free