Breakdown of Är de tvättbara kuddarna utbytbara?
vara
to be
kudden
the pillow
de
the (plural, before adjective)
tvättbar
washable
utbytbar
replaceable
Questions & Answers about Är de tvättbara kuddarna utbytbara?
How does the -bar suffix work in tvättbara?
The suffix -bar means 'able to be' or '-able' in English. It attaches directly to verb stems. Here, it attaches to the stem of tvätta (to wash) to make tvättbar (washable). The -a is then added because it is describing a plural noun.
The verb for 'to replace' is byta ut. Why does it flip around to become utbytbara?
When you turn a phrasal verb (a verb with a particle, like byta ut) into an adjective using a suffix like -bar, the particle usually moves to the front and merges with the verb stem. So, ut + byt + -bar creates the base adjective utbytbar.
Why does utbytbara get an -a at the end even though it comes at the very end of the sentence?
In Swedish, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe even when they follow a verb like 'is' or 'are' (this is called a predicative adjective). Since the subject kuddarna is plural, utbytbar must take the plural ending -a.
Why do we need the word de if kuddarna already has the definite ending meaning 'the pillows'?
This is a quick reminder of the Swedish 'double definiteness' rule. Whenever you put an adjective like tvättbara in front of a definite noun like kuddarna, you must also add the independent definite article before the adjective. For plural words, that article is de.
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