Breakdown of Vd:ns nya mc står utanför kontoret, men hennes pc är här inne.
vara
to be
här
here
men
but
ny
new
kontoret
the office
hennes
her (possessive)
inne
inside
stå
to stand
utanför
outside (preposition)
vd:n
the CEO
mc:n
the motorcycle
pc:n
the PC
Questions & Answers about Vd:ns nya mc står utanför kontoret, men hennes pc är här inne.
Why is there a colon in vd:ns, and what do the suffixes after it mean?
In Swedish, initialisms that are read letter by letter use a colon before grammatical endings. Here, vd (short for verkställande direktör, or CEO) gets the definite suffix -n (the CEO) and the genitive suffix -s (the CEO's). Combined, they form vd:ns.
Why don't mc and pc have colons and suffixes in this sentence?
They would need a colon if they had suffixes, such as mc:n (the motorcycle). However, in this sentence, they come right after possessive words (vd:ns and hennes). Nouns following a possessive always drop their definite suffix in Swedish, so we just use the base forms mc and pc without any colons.
If mc drops its definite suffix, why is the adjective still in the definite form (nya mc)?
This is a strict rule in Swedish: adjectives following a possessive word (like vd:ns or hennes) must take the definite ending -a, even though the noun itself must be in the indefinite form. That is why it is nya mc instead of ny mc.
Why are vd, mc, and pc written in lowercase?
Unlike in English, Swedish initialisms that stand for common nouns are usually written in lowercase. Uppercase is generally reserved for proper nouns, like acronyms for organizations (for example, FN:s for the UN's).
Why does the sentence use här inne instead of just inne?
här inne means specifically 'in here' (inside this very place). Using just inne would simply mean 'inside' in a general sense. Combining a location word like här or där with a position word like inne or ute is very common in Swedish to give a precise location.
Learn Vd:ns nya mc står utanför kontoret, men hennes pc är här inne 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