Breakdown of Är det ett slags tilltugg eller en sorts förrätt?
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
eller
or
förrätten
the starter
en sorts
a kind of
ett slags
a kind of
tilltugget
the snack
Questions & Answers about Är det ett slags tilltugg eller en sorts förrätt?
Why do we use ett slags and then en sorts? Do they have to match the gender of tilltugg and förrätt?
In this specific sentence, it looks like they match, since tilltugg is an ett-word and förrätt is an en-word! But in strict grammar, they don't actually change based on the noun. Ett slags comes from the noun ett slag (a kind), and en sorts comes from en sort (a sort). They are traditionally fixed phrases that stay the same regardless of the noun that follows. However, you will often hear native speakers change the article to match the following noun (like saying en slags bil), but in formal writing, it is safest to stick to the fixed ett slags and en sorts.
Why is there an s at the end of slags and sorts?
That s is a genitive (possessive) ending. Historically, the phrase was built literally as "a kind's snack" or "a sort's appetizer". Today, you can just think of that s as the Swedish equivalent of the English word "of" in the phrases "a kind of" or "a sort of".
Why are tilltugg and förrätt in their bare, indefinite forms?
After ett slags and en sorts, you do not use articles or definite endings on the noun that follows. It works just like English: we say "a kind of appetizer," not "a kind of an appetizer" or "a kind of the appetizer."
I know mellanmål means snack. How is tilltugg different?
Tilltugg specifically refers to savory nibbles or bite-sized snacks served alongside drinks, like salted nuts, olives, or crackers at a party. Ett mellanmål is a snack or mini-meal you eat between main meals for energy, like an apple or a sandwich.
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