Breakdown of Det var späckhuggaren som hade en fena på 2 meter.
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
en
a, an (common)
ha
to have
som
who / which / that (relative pronoun)
metern
the meter
på
of (specifying measurement)
späckhuggaren
the killer whale
fenan
the fin
Questions & Answers about Det var späckhuggaren som hade en fena på 2 meter.
Why do we use på here instead of a word like av for "of 2 meters"?
In Swedish, the preposition på is commonly used after a noun to specify its size, age, price, or capacity. When you want to say "a fin of 2 meters" or "a 2-meter fin", the natural phrasing is en fena på 2 meter. Directly translating "of" to av sounds unnatural here because av is usually reserved for physical composition (made of) or possession.
Why is the sentence structured as Det var späckhuggaren som... instead of just saying "Späckhuggaren hade..."?
This is a cleft sentence, which is used to create emphasis. Just like in English ("It was the killer whale that..."), using Det var... som... emphasizes that it was specifically the killer whale, and not a shark or a dolphin, that had the 2-meter fin.
The word späckhuggaren looks like a compound word. What are its parts?
It is a very descriptive compound! It is made of späck (blubber or whale fat) and huggare (someone who strikes, chops, or bites, from the verb hugga). The definite suffix -n makes it späckhuggaren (the blubber-chopper, which is the Swedish word for killer whale).
Why is it 2 meter and not 2 metrar?
Words for standard units of measurement that end in a consonant, like meter, mil, or gram, usually take the exact same form in both singular and plural when they follow a number. So you say en meter, but also två meter. You will only see the plural metrar when talking about meters conceptually, rather than as a strict measurement directly following a number.
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