Breakdown of Dessa koraller är tre gånger så dyra som sanden.
vara
to be
dyr
expensive
tre
three
så
so
gången
the time (occurrence)
som
as (in comparisons)
dessa
these (plural)
korallen
the coral
sanden
the sand
Questions & Answers about Dessa koraller är tre gånger så dyra som sanden.
How does the multiplier construction work in this sentence, and why is the adjective in the plural?
The pattern [number] gånger så [adjective] som is the standard Swedish way to express "X times as [adjective] as". Here, tre gånger provides the multiplier "three times", while så ... som frames the comparison. The adjective dyra takes the plural -a ending because it must agree with the plural subject, Dessa koraller.
Why is it Dessa koraller (indefinite) instead of Dessa korallerna (definite)?
The demonstrative pronoun dessa (these) always requires the noun that follows it to be in the indefinite plural form. If you wanted to use the definite plural, you would need to use de här instead, giving you de här korallerna.
Could I say tre gånger dyrare än (three times more expensive than) instead?
While you might hear it in casual speech, the standard and most natural way to express multipliers in Swedish is using the equative form så dyra som (as expensive as). Using a comparative adjective like dyrare (more expensive) directly after a multiplier is often considered awkward or mathematically ambiguous by careful speakers.
How can I tell the gender of the word for "sand" from this sentence?
You can determine it by looking at the definite ending on sanden (the sand). The -en suffix indicates that it is an en-word (en sand).
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