Breakdown of Det finns en gammal vävstol i Annas hus.
en
a, an (common)
huset
the house
i
in
gammal
old
Anna
Anna
det finns
there is, there are
vävstolen
the loom
Questions & Answers about Det finns en gammal vävstol i Annas hus.
How would we apply this lesson's topic (fronting an infinite verb) to emphasize the verb finns in this sentence?
To emphasize the verb itself, Swedish allows you to move it to the front of the sentence. You put the infinitive form (finnas) in the first position, and use the matching tense of göra (to do) in the original verb's place. To strongly emphasize that the loom does indeed exist there, you would say: Finnas gör det en gammal vävstol i Annas hus.
As a quick refresher, why do we use Det finns here instead of Det är to mean "There is"?
While English uses "there is" for almost everything, Swedish distinguishes between existence and simple identification. Det finns (literally "it is found") is the standard way to state that something exists or is located somewhere. You generally only use Det är to identify what something is (e.g., Det är en vävstol meaning "That is a loom") or for abstract conditions like the weather.
What are the parts of the compound noun vävstol?
It is composed of väv (weave, fabric, or web) and stol (chair). In older Swedish, stol was used much more broadly to describe various wooden frames, stands, or mechanical structures, which is why a loom is literally called a "weave-frame".
Why is the phrase written as Annas hus without an apostrophe or a definite ending on the word hus?
Swedish forms the possessive (genitive) by simply adding an s, never using an apostrophe. Additionally, a noun that directly follows a possessive word must always be in its bare, indefinite form (hus instead of huset), even though the specific house being referred to is definite in meaning.
Learn Det finns en gammal vävstol i Annas hus 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