Breakdown of Akvariet är dubbelt så brett som måttet.
vara
to be
så
so
bred
wide
som
as (in comparisons)
akvariet
the aquarium
dubbelt
twice
måttet
the measurement (size, dimension)
Questions & Answers about Akvariet är dubbelt så brett som måttet.
Why is the adjective brett instead of bred here?
The adjective must agree with the subject of the sentence. Because akvariet (the aquarium) is a neuter (ett) noun, the base adjective bred (wide) takes the neuter ending to become brett. Being inside the dubbelt så ... som structure doesn't change this fundamental agreement rule.
Does dubbelt end in a -t because akvariet is an ett word?
Actually, no! In the phrase dubbelt så (twice as), dubbelt acts as an adverb describing how wide it is. Adverbs formed from adjectives take a -t ending. It will always be dubbelt så, even if the subject is an en word (for example: sängen är dubbelt så bred - the bed is twice as wide).
Why does the spelling change from bred to brett with a double 't'?
When an adjective ends in a long vowel followed by a -d, adding the neuter -t causes the -d to drop and be replaced by a second -t. This double consonant signals that the preceding vowel sound should be pronounced short. You see this same spelling rule in god becoming gott or röd becoming rött.
Could I say två gånger så brett som instead of dubbelt så brett som?
Yes, you can. Två gånger så brett som (two times as wide as) is grammatically correct and means the exact same thing. However, dubbelt så is more idiomatic and much more commonly used by native speakers for 'twice as'.
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