Breakdown of Var inte spontan! Den andra sittningen börjar först på kvällen.
vara
to be
inte
not
börja
to start
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
kvällen
the evening
den
the (with en-words)
andra
second
först
not until
spontan
spontaneous
sittningen
the seating
Questions & Answers about Var inte spontan! Den andra sittningen börjar först på kvällen.
How does först mean 'not until' here? I thought it meant 'first'.
You are right that först usually means 'first'. However, when talking about time, Swedish uses först to indicate that an event happens later than expected, which translates to 'not until' in English. Notice that unlike English, Swedish does not use a negative word like 'not' in this structure.
Why does the sentence use Den andra sittningen with both the word Den and the -en ending on sittning?
This is a great example of the Swedish double definite rule. When a definite noun is modified by an adjective, like the ordinal number andra here, you must use the standalone front article Den as well as the definite suffix -en on the noun itself.
Does sittning literally mean 'sitting'?
Yes, sittning is a noun formed from the verb sitta. In a restaurant context like this one, it translates perfectly to 'seating', referring to a specific time slot for guests to eat. As a fun cultural note, a sittning is also the standard term for a formal dinner party at Swedish universities.
Why is the command Var inte spontan instead of Vara inte spontan?
To give a command in Swedish, you use the imperative form of the verb. For the verb vara, the imperative is simply var. It is followed directly by the negation inte to mean 'do not be'.
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