Breakdown of Både versen och metaforen är vackra.
vara
to be
och
and
vacker
beautiful
både
both
versen
the verse
metaforen
the metaphor
Questions & Answers about Både versen och metaforen är vackra.
Why is the adjective vackra in the plural form here instead of matching the singular nouns?
Even though both versen and metaforen are singular en-words, the phrase både ... och ... (both ... and ...) links them into a plural compound subject. Because the subject is plural overall, the predicative adjective must take the plural form vackra.
How does this plural agreement work if we add an infinitive, like in the 'tough-movement' structures we are currently learning?
The agreement stays exactly the same! If you wanted to say 'Both the verse and the metaphor are beautiful to read', it would be Både versen och metaforen är vackra att läsa. The adjective vackra still agrees with the plural subject, and the infinitive phrase att läsa simply attaches to the end.
Does the phrase både ... och ... affect the V2 (verb-second) word order?
No, både versen och metaforen functions together as a single, unified noun phrase. Because this entire phrase sits in the subject position (the first block of information), the verb är correctly takes the second spot in the sentence. It behaves exactly as if you had just used a simple pronoun like de (they).
What if one of these nouns was an ett-word instead of an en-word? Would the adjective change?
No, it wouldn't change. When you combine nouns with och (and) to form a plural subject, the gender of the individual nouns no longer matters for the adjective. Whether you have two en-words, two ett-words, or a mix of both, the adjective will always take the plural ending -a.
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