Breakdown of Det är fenan som ger delfinen en hastighet på 60 kilometer i timmen.
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
en
a, an (common)
ge
to give
timmen
the hour
som
who / which / that (relative pronoun)
i
per, a (frequency)
kilometern
the kilometer
hastigheten
the speed (velocity)
på
of (specifying measurement)
fenan
the fin
delfinen
the dolphin
Questions & Answers about Det är fenan som ger delfinen en hastighet på 60 kilometer i timmen.
Why do we use på in en hastighet på 60 kilometer instead of av to mean "of"?
In Swedish, på is the standard preposition used to attach a specific measurement, size, age, or capacity to a noun. While English uses "of" in phrases like "a speed of", "a price of", or "a weight of", Swedish consistently uses på for these specifying phrases.
Why is "per hour" translated as i timmen rather than per timme?
While per timme is grammatically correct and understood, Swedish most commonly expresses rates by using a preposition plus the definite form of the time noun. For hours, minutes, and seconds, the preposition is i (yielding i timmen, i minuten). As a quick refresher: days and years use om (om dagen, om året), whereas weeks and months use i (i veckan, i månaden).
Why phrase this as Det är fenan som... instead of just saying Fenan ger...?
This is a cleft sentence, which works exactly like its English counterpart "It is the fin that...". By pulling fenan to the front with Det är, the speaker strongly emphasizes that the fin, specifically, is what creates the speed, contrasting it with any other part of the dolphin's body.
Why does delfinen come directly after ger without a preposition like till (to)?
The verb ge (to give) takes two objects. In Swedish, just like in the English phrase "gives the dolphin a speed", you can place the indirect receiver (delfinen) directly after the verb, followed by the direct object (en hastighet), completely avoiding the need for a preposition.
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