Breakdown of Halva pajen är fortfarande kvar på bordet.
vara
to be
bordet
the table
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
kvar
left (remaining)
halv
half
fortfarande
still
pajen
the pie
Questions & Answers about Halva pajen är fortfarande kvar på bordet.
Why is it Halva pajen instead of Den halva pajen?
Normally, when you put an adjective before a definite noun, you need the free definite article den, det, or de (as in den goda pajen). However, halva (half the) and hela (the whole) are major exceptions. They drop the free article and sit directly in front of the noun in its suffixed definite form.
Does halva change depending on whether the noun is an en-word or ett-word?
No, in this specific construction meaning "half the", halva stays exactly the same for both en-words and ett-words. You say halva pajen (en-word) and halva bordet (ett-word). The same unchanging rule applies to hela.
Why use kvar here instead of a passive verb like lämnad?
Kvar is an adverb that specifically means "left" in the sense of "remaining" or "still there". While lämnad is the past participle of att lämna (to leave), using the phrase vara kvar (to be left/remaining) is the standard, idiomatic way in Swedish to express that a portion of food, time, or a physical object hasn't been consumed or taken away yet.
Why does fortfarande come before kvar?
Fortfarande (still) is a sentence adverb. In a standard main clause, sentence adverbs go right after the first (finite) verb, which is är in this sentence. Kvar acts as a particle describing the state of the pie, so it naturally comes after the adverb.
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