Breakdown of Kärlek är vackert, men svartsjuka är smärtsamt.
vara
to be
men
but
vacker
beautiful
kärleken
the love
svartsjukan
the jealousy
smärtsam
painful
Questions & Answers about Kärlek är vackert, men svartsjuka är smärtsamt.
Why do vackert and smärtsamt end in -t when both kärlek and svartsjuka are en-words?
This is the categorizing neuter rule in action. When you make a broad, philosophical statement about an abstract concept, Swedish often treats the whole idea as a neuter phenomenon. It is like saying 'the concept of love is a beautiful thing.' Therefore, the adjectives take the neuter -t ending despite the nouns being en-words.
Would it be grammatically wrong to write Kärlek är vacker instead?
No, it is not wrong. If you write kärlek är vacker, you are simply making the adjective agree normally with the en-word kärlek. However, using the neuter vackert is very common in Swedish for proverbs or general truths, as it strongly emphasizes the abstract nature of the concept.
How does the noun svartsjuka get its meaning?
It breaks down into svart (black) and sjuk (sick). Adding the -a at the end turns the adjective svartsjuk (jealous) into the abstract noun svartsjuka (jealousy), so it literally means 'black-sickness.'
What is the function of the -sam part in smärtsamt?
The suffix -sam turns the noun smärta (pain) into the adjective smärtsam (painful). It works just like the English suffixes '-ful' or '-some'. We then add the neuter -t to fit the categorizing neuter rule of the sentence.
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