Breakdown of Glaciären är liten i förhållande till den globala isen.
vara
to be
den
the (with en-words)
liten
small
isen
the ice
i förhållande till
in relation to
glaciären
the glacier
global
global
Questions & Answers about Glaciären är liten i förhållande till den globala isen.
Can I use jämfört med instead of i förhållande till here?
Yes, you could use jämfört med (compared to). However, i förhållande till translates directly to "in relation to" or "in proportion to". It is especially natural here because it emphasizes the massive difference in scale or proportion between the single glacier and the global ice.
Does förhållande mean "relationship" like a romantic relationship?
Yes, ett förhållande often means a romantic relationship, but it also means "proportion", "condition", or "relation". In the compound preposition i förhållande till, it strictly means "in relation to" or "relative to". It comes from the verb att förhålla sig (to relate).
Why do we need the word den in den globala isen if isen is already definite?
This is a classic example of Swedish "double definiteness", which is always good to review. When you put an adjective (globala) in front of a definite noun (isen), you must also add the freestanding definite article (den) before the adjective. You cannot just say globala isen.
Why is liten in its basic form while globala ends in -a?
Liten comes after the verb är (predicative position) and agrees with the singular en-word glaciären, so it takes the basic form. Globala, however, is placed directly before a definite noun (den globala isen), so it must take the definite adjective ending -a.
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