Word
Barnvakten hoppas att barnet inte är gnälligt idag.
Meaning
The babysitter hopes that the child is not whiny today.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Barnvakten hoppas att barnet inte är gnälligt idag.
vara
to be
barnet
the child
idag
today
inte
not
Questions & Answers about Barnvakten hoppas att barnet inte är gnälligt idag.
Since the lesson is about defective adjectives, why does gnälligt work perfectly fine with the neuter noun barnet?
The base adjective is gnällig (whiny). Adjectives ending in -ig are completely regular and easily take the -t suffix to match neuter nouns, becoming gnälligt. The defective adjectives you are studying (like rädd or gravid) usually end in specific consonants where adding a -t creates an awkward or ambiguous sound cluster, which is why Swedish avoids inflecting them in the neuter form.
Why is inte placed before the verb är in this sentence?
Because att barnet inte är gnälligt idag is a subordinate clause. In Swedish, subordinate clauses follow the BIFF rule, meaning sentence adverbs like inte must be placed before the conjugated verb (är). If this were a main clause, the order would be Barnet är inte gnälligt.
Why does the verb hoppas end in -s? Is it a passive form?
No, hoppas (to hope) is a deponent verb. This means it always ends in -s but has an active meaning. Do not confuse it with hoppa (to jump)—hoppas is not the passive form of jumping!
How is the word barnvakten built?