Breakdown of Virket kostar nittio kronor metern.
kosta
to cost
nittio
ninety
kronan
the crown
metern
the meter
virket
the timber
Questions & Answers about Virket kostar nittio kronor metern.
Why does the sentence use metern instead of a word for "per" or "a"?
This is the standard Swedish way to express rates or unit pricing. Instead of using a preposition like "per" or an article like "a" (as in "a meter"), Swedish simply uses the definite singular form of the unit noun. Therefore, "per meter" translates to metern.
Is it also acceptable to say per meter in Swedish?
Yes, per meter is grammatically correct and perfectly understood. However, using the definite form like metern is much more common and idiomatic in everyday speech, while using per can sound a bit more formal, mathematical, or technical.
Virke translates to "timber" or "lumber". What are its noun properties?
It is an ett word (ett virke). Because it already ends in a vowel, it only takes a -t to become the definite form virket (the timber). Just like in English, it is generally treated as an uncountable mass noun.
If a board was three meters long, would the word meter change?
No, the plural of en meter is simply meter (e.g., tre meter). As a helpful rule, measurement words in Swedish that are en words ending in -er (like liter and kilometer) usually don't change in the plural. But remember, for unit pricing like in this sentence, you always use the definite singular form (metern).
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