Breakdown of Det finns levande fiskar i sjön.
fisken
the fish
sjön
the lake
det finns
there is, there are
levande
living, alive
Questions & Answers about Det finns levande fiskar i sjön.
Why doesn't levande get a plural ending to match fiskar?
Levande is a present participle, which is a verb form acting like an adjective. In Swedish, present participles ending in -ande or -ende are completely indeclinable. They never change their endings, regardless of whether the noun is singular, plural, or definite.
How does levande fit into the topic of pre-modifying participial attributes?
It shows the basic building block. The participle levande is placed directly before the noun it modifies (fiskar), exactly like a standard adjective. While this example is short, Swedish allows you to stack extra information onto that participle right before the noun to create a complex attribute.
As a refresher, why do we use det finns instead of translating 'there are' word-for-word?
When stating that something exists in a location, Swedish always uses the passive verb form finns (from att finna, to find) together with the dummy pronoun det. Translating it literally as där är sounds unnatural unless you are physically pointing at the fish.
In English, the plural of 'fish' is usually just 'fish'. How does it work in Swedish?
Swedish treats fisk as a standard countable noun in the second declension. To make it plural, you must add the suffix -ar, making it fiskar.
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