Breakdown of Den nya pumpen är tre gånger så kraftfull som den gamla.
vara
to be
gammal
old
ny
new
den
the (with en-words)
tre
three
så
so
gången
the time (occurrence)
som
as (in comparisons)
kraftfull
powerful (forceful, energetic)
pumpen
the pump
Questions & Answers about Den nya pumpen är tre gånger så kraftfull som den gamla.
How does the comparison structure tre gånger så kraftfull som work?
To say '[number] times as [adjective] as' in Swedish, you use the formula [number] gånger så [adjective] som. Here, tre gånger means 'three times', followed by så ('so' or 'as'), the adjective kraftfull, and som ('as'). It literally translates to 'three times so powerful as'.
Why does the sentence use the base form kraftfull instead of a comparative form like kraftfullare?
Even though we are comparing two pumps, this structure is an equative comparison (showing equality or a multiple of it). Just like in English ('as powerful as', not 'as more powerful as'), Swedish uses the base form of the adjective (kraftfull) rather than the comparative form (kraftfullare).
Why is 'the old one' translated simply as den gamla without a word for 'one'?
In Swedish, you do not need a placeholder pronoun like 'one' after an adjective. The freestanding definite article den paired with the definite adjective gamla is perfectly sufficient to mean 'the old one'. Adding a word like en here would sound completely unnatural.
Why is it Den nya pumpen instead of just Den ny pumpen?
This is a reminder of the Swedish double definite rule. When a definite noun like pumpen is preceded by an adjective, you must add the freestanding definite article den, and the adjective must take its definite -a ending, becoming nya.
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