Breakdown of Du måste köpa tre liter målarfärg.
du
you (singular)
köpa
to buy
måste
to have to, must
tre
three
Questions & Answers about Du måste köpa tre liter målarfärg.
Why is it tre liter and not a plural form like tre litrar?
In Swedish, most units of measurement, weight, and currency do not take a plural ending when they come directly after a number. So you say tre liter (three liters) and fem kilo (five kilos), even though the amounts are plural.
Since this lesson is about unit pricing like litern (per liter), why don't we use litern in this sentence?
You use the definite singular form like litern when expressing a rate or price, meaning 'per liter' (for example, Den kostar hundra kronor litern). In this sentence, you are just stating a physical quantity you need to buy (three liters), so you use the standard indefinite form liter.
Why is there no Swedish word for 'of' between liter and målarfärg?
When expressing quantities in Swedish, you put the unit of measurement directly next to the noun. You do not use a preposition like the English 'of'. You see this rule everywhere: en kopp kaffe (a cup of coffee), ett glas vatten (a glass of water), and tre liter målarfärg.
Does färg mean 'paint' or 'color'?
It can mean both! To avoid confusion, Swedes often use the specific compound word målarfärg (literally 'painter-color') when they mean liquid paint used for walls or art. If you just say färg, it usually defaults to 'color' in everyday conversation.