Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Swedish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Inskriften är gåtfull.
Why is the adjective gåtfull rather than gåtfullt?
It agrees with inskriften, which is a definite en-word (from en inskrift). If the subject were an ett-word or a dummy pronoun like det (for example, if you were saying "It is enigmatic..."), you would use the neuter form gåtfullt.
Since this lesson is about 'Tough-movement', how would the adjective agreement work if we added a verb, like "The inscription is enigmatic to understand"?
It would be Inskriften är gåtfull att förstå. Even though the action of "understanding" is what is logically enigmatic, the grammatical subject moved to the front of the sentence is still Inskriften. Therefore, the adjective gåtfull must stay in the en-word form to agree with the noun.
How is the adjective gåtfull built?
It comes from the noun en gåta, which means "a riddle" or "a mystery", combined with the suffix -full (full). It literally translates to "full of riddles".
Can you break down the word inskriften?
It is the definite singular form of en inskrift. It is formed from the prefix in- and the noun en skrift (a script, text, or writing). It works exactly like its English translation "inscription", which comes from "in" plus "script".