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- "Det är en bok."
38 Comments
It says on the preview page for Basics 2 that "det" is used for "ett" words, but isn't "en" used for "bok"? I'm not sure if I've missed something or it's a mistake.
"It is" is more or less always translated as "det är" when you explain what "it" is. "den" would rather be used if your simply exchanging the noun with a pronoun. i.e. "Det är en bok. Den är bra." (It is a book. It is good.)
You wouldn't encounter this problem in real life though since "de" is pronounced "dom"
Because they are both Germanic. That's all I got. But, I could read that because of Danish, they are closer.
A longer answer would be that English is descended from the Anglo-Saxon language, which is even more similar to the Norse languages (Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic). Old English also got an injection of Norse influence from the Viking invasions of England in the 9th century.
Is "det är en bok" better translated as "it is a book" or "that is a book" (because "det" is similarly pronounced to "that", but I also know that there is "det där", so I'm not sure which one would be the demonstrative pronoun "that")
That would be Det där and This would be Det här. However, usually Det could be used as that as well and therefore that is accepted in this case. This is not accepted though.
How hard were two of you's comments..
I finally revised after understanding and I understand this :
Det är is better translated as " it is " but can be " that is " but never " this is "
Right ?
No, not in this case. It does not sound natural in Swedish. Please read my answer on nightshadeniki's question for more info.
thank you for your comment : ) but what is the difference between denna/detta and den/det här
They are basically the same, but different dialects prefer different constructions. I prefer denna/detta for example, but I know that for many, den/det här feels more natural.
It is important to remember though that detta/denna is followed by the indefinite, and den/det här is followed by the definite. e.g.
Denna bok - This book
Den här boken - This book
Some dialects accept "denna boken" but that is not generally accepted.
As far as I know, the North rather likes the terms den här/ det här while the south likes both
They need to have a thing were you can not use audio because i cant use audio at school or at a library
I understood previously that I should use ett before not any ING form and in ING form I should add "en" word- like "en tidning". But here why is it not "ett bok" but "en bok". there is no ING here
It's not a rule.
many occurences are : " en " when there's "-ing" (but not applicable to every single word )
I'm native in Swedish and English and I say that "that is a book" is more of a correct translation than "it is a book."
