Breakdown of Nyckeln till klostret är gammal, och vi har bott här sedan vi var unga.
vara
to be
vi
we
här
here
och
and
bo
to live
ha
to have
till
to (direction, destination)
nyckeln
the key
gammal
old
ung
young
klostret
the monastery
sedan
since (from a point in time)
Questions & Answers about Nyckeln till klostret är gammal, och vi har bott här sedan vi var unga.
Why do we use the present perfect (har bott) in the main clause but the simple past (var) after sedan?
Sedan connects an ongoing state to its starting point. The main clause uses the present perfect (har bott) because the living situation continues into the present. The clause after sedan uses the simple past (var) because it pinpoints the exact finished time when that action began.
Why do we say nyckeln till klostret instead of using the possessive s, like klostrets nyckel?
While klostrets nyckel is grammatically fine, Swedish strongly prefers using the preposition till to show a functional or physical match. You will almost always see till used for things like the key to a door, the lid to a jar, or the password to an account.
Why is the definite form of kloster spelled as klostret rather than "klosteret"?
Kloster is an ett-word that ends in -er. When adding the definite suffix -et, the unstressed -e- in the stem drops out to make pronunciation smoother. This gives us klostret. You might remember this same pattern from words like fönster becoming fönstret.
Why does the adjective ung get an -a at the end of the sentence?
Adjectives in Swedish must agree with the noun or pronoun they describe. Because the subject is the plural pronoun vi (we), the adjective takes the plural ending -a, becoming unga.
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