Breakdown of Idag är det den trettioförsta juli.
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
idag
today
den
the (with en-words)
Questions & Answers about Idag är det den trettioförsta juli.
Why is the word order är det instead of det är?
This is because of the V2 (verb-second) rule in Swedish. Since the sentence starts with the time word Idag (Today), the verb är must come right after it in the second position. The subject det is pushed to the third position.
Why do we need the word det here? Can't we just say Idag är den trettioförsta juli?
In Swedish, you often need a placeholder subject (just like 'it' in English) when talking about the weather, time, or dates. Swedish uses det to give the verb a subject, which translates literally to 'Today is it the thirty-first...'.
Why is the word den used before the number?
When saying dates, Swedish uses the definite article den (the) before the ordinal number. This matches English when we say 'the thirty-first'. We use den because the implied word is dagen (the day), which is an 'en' word.
Why does trettioförsta (thirty-first) end with an 'a'?
In Swedish, ordinal numbers (words like first, second, third) act like definite adjectives, which usually end in -a or -e. The word for 'first' is första, so when you add it to trettio (thirty), the ending remains -a making it trettioförsta.