Breakdown of Är den tidsödande expeditionen verkligen skräckinjagande?
vara
to be
den
the (with en-words)
verkligen
really
expeditionen
the expedition
skräckinjagande
terrifying
tidsödande
time-consuming
Questions & Answers about Är den tidsödande expeditionen verkligen skräckinjagande?
Let's look closely at the components of tidsödande. Why is there an -s- in the middle?
Tidsödande is a compound adjective made from the noun tid (time) and the present participle ödande (wasting/consuming, from the verb öda). The -s- is a linking consonant that frequently appears to glue the words together when a noun is the first part of a compound.
How exactly does the verb part of skräckinjagande work, considering it comes from a two-word phrase?
It comes from the noun skräck (terror) and the phrasal verb jaga in (to drive in or instill). When a phrasal verb is turned into a present participle, the particle (in) attaches directly to the front of the verb part, creating injagande.
The phrase is den tidsödande expeditionen. Why doesn't tidsödande get an extra -a at the end for the definite form?
Because it is formed from a present participle (ending in -ande). Unlike regular adjectives which take an -a in the definite form, present participles are completely indeclinable in Swedish. They keep the exact same form whether the noun is singular, plural, definite, or indefinite. This also applies to skräckinjagande.
Just as a quick refresher, why do we need both den and the -en ending on expeditionen here?
This is the classic Swedish double definite structure. Whenever a definite noun is modified by an adjective (like tidsödande), you must use the freestanding article den before the adjective, while still keeping the definite suffix -en on the noun itself.
Learn Är den tidsödande expeditionen verkligen skräckinjagande 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