Breakdown of Delfinen har en livslängd på 50 år.
en
a, an (common)
ha
to have
året
the year
på
of (specifying measurement)
delfinen
the dolphin
livslängden
the lifespan
Questions & Answers about Delfinen har en livslängd på 50 år.
Why do we use på instead of av for "of" in this sentence?
This is a set pattern in Swedish. When you want to specify an exact age, size, amount, price, or length that modifies a noun, you use på. If you used av, it would sound like the lifespan is physically constructed out of years, rather than having a duration of 50 years.
How is the compound word livslängd built?
It is made from liv (life) and längd (length). Notice the extra -s- linking the two words. This linking -s- is extremely common in Swedish compound nouns, though there is no single strict rule for exactly when it must appear.
Why doesn't the word år change form after the number 50?
It is actually in the plural form here! The word år is an ett-word (neuter noun) that ends in a consonant. A key rule to remember is that these words have the exact same form in the indefinite plural as they do in the singular. So ett år (one year) simply becomes 50 år (50 years).
The sentence uses the singular delfinen (the dolphin). Could I use the plural delfiner (dolphins) instead?
Yes, you can. Just like in English, Swedish allows you to use the definite singular (delfinen) to represent an entire species, which gives the sentence an encyclopedic or scientific tone. Saying Delfiner har en livslängd... (Dolphins have a lifespan...) is also perfectly correct.
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