Breakdown of De blå långkalsongerna är varmare än de röda.
vara
to be
varm
warm
röd
red
blå
blue
de
the (plural, before adjective)
än
than
långkalsongerna
the long johns
Questions & Answers about De blå långkalsongerna är varmare än de röda.
Since a pair of long johns is a single garment, why does it have the plural ending -na?
Just like in English, långkalsonger (long johns) is a plurale tantum—a noun that is generally treated as grammatically plural, even when talking about one garment. Because it is plural, it takes the definite plural suffix -na, and it requires the plural article de and the plural adjective blå.
How would I count these if I wanted to say "two blue long johns" or "the two blue long johns"?
Because långkalsonger functions as a plural, you can't place a number directly in front of it to count individual garments. You have to count them using the word par (pair). You would say två par blå långkalsonger for the indefinite, and de två paren blå långkalsonger for the definite.
Why is the adjective blå used here instead of the expected plural form blåa?
For colors ending in a vowel, like blå and grå, the plural and definite form can be either blå or blåa. Both are completely correct, but the shorter form blå is much more common in written Swedish, while blåa is frequently used in everyday speech.
How does Swedish translate "the red ones" at the end of the sentence?
Swedish doesn't use a filler word like "ones". Instead, you simply use the freestanding definite adjective. De röda literally means "the red", but the plural article de and the plural adjective ending -a make it clear you are referring back to the plural noun långkalsongerna.
Why doesn't the comparative adjective varmare have a plural ending to agree with långkalsongerna?
In Swedish, comparative adjectives (words ending in -are, like varmare, kallare, snabbare) never change their form. They do not agree in gender or number with the noun, so the word remains varmare regardless of whether the subject is singular, plural, an en-word, or an ett-word.
Learn De blå långkalsongerna är varmare än de röda 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