Breakdown of Den gamla tavlan tros dölja en förbannelse.
en
a, an (common)
gammal
old
den
the (with en-words)
tavlan
the painting
dölja
to hide (conceal, e.g., feelings or truth)
tros
to be believed
förbannelsen
the curse
Questions & Answers about Den gamla tavlan tros dölja en förbannelse.
Why is there no att before the infinitive dölja?
This sentence uses the passive verb tros (is believed). In Swedish, passive verbs of reporting and cognition (like tros, sägs, and anses) are followed directly by a bare infinitive. Even though we translate it as 'is believed TO hide' in English, you drop the infinitive marker att in this specific Swedish construction.
How is the passive form tros constructed from the active verb?
Tros is the s-passive form of tror. For verbs that end in a vowel in their present tense active form (like tror, syr, or bor), the passive is formed by replacing that final -r with an -s. So tror (believes) becomes tros (is believed).
Is dölja a regular verb?
No, dölja (to hide or conceal) is an irregular verb. Its forms are döljer in the present, dolde in the past, and dolt in the supine (used with har/hade). It is closely related to the adjective dold, meaning hidden.
Why is it Den gamla tavlan and not just Den gamla tavla?
This is a quick refresher on the Swedish double definite rule. When you describe a specific, definite noun using an adjective, you need the independent definite article Den, the adjective gets its definite ending -a, and the noun itself still keeps its definite suffix -an.
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