Breakdown of En tjugo fredliga demonstranter bär plakat och banderoller.
en
a, an (common)
och
and
tjugo
twenty
bära
to carry
demonstranten
the demonstrator
fredlig
peaceful
plakatet
the placard
banderollen
the banner
Questions & Answers about En tjugo fredliga demonstranter bär plakat och banderoller.
Why do we use the singular article en before the number tjugo?
Adding en before a number is a common Swedish construction used to mean "about" or "approximately". Here, en tjugo translates to "about twenty" or "some twenty". In this context, en acts as a fixed approximation marker rather than a normal singular article.
If the phrase starts with the singular en, why is the adjective fredliga in the plural form?
The adjective must agree with the core noun it describes, which is the plural demonstranter. Because en functions only as an approximation marker for the number tjugo, it does not force the rest of the noun phrase into the singular.
Since the demonstrators are carrying multiple placards, why doesn't plakat have a plural ending?
Plakat is an ett-word that ends in a consonant (ett plakat). In Swedish, ett-words ending in a consonant do not change their form in the plural indefinite. Therefore, "a placard" is ett plakat, and "placards" is simply plakat.
The verb bär translates to "are carrying" here. Is this the same verb used for wearing clothes?
Yes! The verb bära is used both for physically carrying objects, like these signs, and for wearing clothes. For example, hon bär en röd tröja means "she is wearing a red sweater".
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