Breakdown of Den gigantiska valen, vars ålder vi inte visste, hade en vikt på 40 ton.
vi
we
en
a, an (common)
inte
not
ha
to have
veta
to know (facts, information)
den
the (with en-words)
åldern
the age
vikten
the weight
vars
whose
tonnet
the ton
valen
the whale
på
of (specifying measurement)
gigantisk
gigantic
Questions & Answers about Den gigantiska valen, vars ålder vi inte visste, hade en vikt på 40 ton.
Why do we use på in en vikt på 40 ton instead of a word for 'of'?
In Swedish, the preposition på is used to specify a measurement, size, age, or capacity after a noun. Where English says 'a weight of 40 tons' or 'a child of five', Swedish uses på, making it en vikt på 40 ton and ett barn på fem år.
Why is the word order vi inte visste instead of vi visste inte?
Because vars ålder vi inte visste is a subordinate clause. In Swedish subordinate clauses, sentence adverbs like inte must be placed before the first verb. This is often taught as the BIFF rule: Bistats (Subordinate clause), Inte Före (before) Finita verbet (finite verb).
Does the relative pronoun vars change form if it refers to a plural noun like 'the whales'?
No, vars (whose) is indeclinable. It stays exactly the same whether the owner is an en-word, an ett-word, or a plural noun.
Why doesn't the word ton change in the plural to something like 'tonner'?
Ton is an ett-word (a neuter noun) that ends in a consonant. In Swedish, ett-words ending in a consonant have the exact same form in the plural as they do in the singular when indefinite. So, ett ton becomes 40 ton.
Why do we need both Den and the ending -en in Den gigantiska valen?
This is the Swedish 'double definite' rule. When an adjective modifies a definite noun, you must use the independent definite article (Den, Det, or De) before the adjective, and you must also keep the definite suffix on the noun itself (valen).
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