Breakdown of Det där bakverket är en sorts dessert.
vara
to be
det där
that (ett)
desserten
the dessert
en sorts
a kind of
bakverket
the pastry
Questions & Answers about Det där bakverket är en sorts dessert.
Why do we use en in en sorts dessert? Does it agree with the word dessert?
It actually agrees with the word sort (which is an en-word: en sort), not with the noun that follows it. Even if you were talking about an ett-word like bakverk, you would still say en sorts bakverk. The phrase en sorts has a fixed article based on the noun sort itself.
Could I use ett slags instead of en sorts in this sentence?
Yes, ett slags dessert means exactly the same thing. Just like with en sorts, the article in ett slags stays fixed because it agrees with the word slag (an ett-word: ett slag), completely ignoring the gender of the noun that comes after it.
Why is there an 's' at the end of sorts in this sentence?
That s is a leftover from the old Swedish genitive (possessive) case, acting a lot like the English word "of" in "a sort of". It links the phrase to the noun it describes, and you will see the exact same thing used in ett slags.
Why is it Det där bakverket and not just Det där bakverk?
When you use the demonstrative pronouns den där/det där (that) or den här/det här (this), Swedish requires the noun that follows to be in its definite form. Since bakverk is an ett-word, it takes the definite suffix -et to become bakverket.
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