Breakdown of Den nya handledaren uppmanar henne att färdigställa sin arbetsuppgift.
att
to
henne
her
ny
new
sin
his/her/its/their own (en-word)
den
the (with en-words)
uppmana
to urge
handledaren
the supervisor
färdigställa
to finalize
arbetsuppgiften
the task (work-related)
Questions & Answers about Den nya handledaren uppmanar henne att färdigställa sin arbetsuppgift.
Wait, why is it sin here? Doesn't sin usually refer back to the subject (the supervisor)?
This is a special case! Usually, sin refers to the grammatical subject of the sentence. But here, we have an infinitive clause (att färdigställa). In these clauses, sin refers back to the logical subject of that action. Since henne (her) is the one doing the finalizing, she is the logical subject, so sin means it is her own task, not the supervisor's.
What would it mean if the sentence used hennes instead of sin at the end?
If it said hennes arbetsuppgift, it would mean she is finalizing a task that belongs to some other female person, not herself. By using sin, we know the task belongs to the person performing the verb färdigställa (which is henne).
How is the verb färdigställa formed?
It is a compound verb made of the adjective färdig (finished or ready) and the verb ställa (to put or set). Together, they create a slightly formal B2-level verb meaning to finalize, to complete, or to finish up.
Why is it nya instead of ny in Den nya handledaren?
Because the noun phrase is in the definite form. When you use the standalone definite article Den (The), the adjective that follows must take the definite ending -a, and the noun must also have its definite suffix, which is -en in handledaren.
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