Breakdown of En av er måste kupera kortleken innan kortspelet börjar.
börja
to start
måste
to have to, must
innan
before
er
you (plural, object)
Questions & Answers about En av er måste kupera kortleken innan kortspelet börjar.
Why do we use er in En av er, and why En instead of Ett?
Because av is a preposition, the pronoun that follows it must be in the object form, so the plural subject ni becomes er. We use En (and not Ett) because it refers to a person, and people are always en-words.
Could I use skära or klippa to say 'cut the deck'?
No, kupera is the specific verb used for dividing a deck of cards. You use skära when slicing something with a knife (like food), and klippa when cutting something with scissors (like paper or hair).
Why is innan used here instead of före for 'before'?
innan is a conjunction, meaning it introduces a full clause with a subject and a verb (kortspelet börjar). You would use före as a preposition if it were followed only by a noun phrase, for example: före kortspelet.
Kortlek means 'deck of cards', but what does lek mean on its own?
By itself, lek typically means 'play' or a 'game' (related to the verb leka, to play). However, when combined into kortlek, it specifically translates to a 'deck' or 'pack' of cards.