29 Comments
In my student's book it's written that socks=sockar, and there's no such a word like strumpa. Which word is right?
954
Both are right, en strumpa can be longer than en socka, but they're often used interchangeably.
Both generally mean the same, but usually "socka" is the thicker kind, worn in colder climates.
When shall I use #det and #den? I've seen “det är mitt kaffe”, I thought it was because Det referred to kaffe (being neuter), but I saw “det är min strompa”
I might be mistaken, but I believe that if you say "Den är min strumpa", you mean "This (one) is my sock". Det is always neuter in phrases like "it is...", "there is...". So, speaking of plural, I'd say "det är mina strumpor", not "de är...". I might be wrong, though.
- 954
You're absolutely right! det in this sentence does not refer to the sock, it is a formal subject much like it in 'It rains'.
With the english quirk of pluralizing sock(s) jean(s) pant(s) would "They are my socks" also be a perfectly acceptable answer?
- 432
Aren't socks pluralized because there are generally two worn at a time? If you had one sock "it's my sock" is a perfectly acceptable sentence, whereas you can't talk about a single "pant" or "jean".
- 954
In Swedish, you can say en byxa if you like, but I don't think we have a way to make jeans singular.
I raise you one: "Det är mina strumpor". Translating "they are my socks" with "de är..." makes it sound a bit like you're friends with your socks.
If you're having a hard time remembering this word, imagine Donald Trump saying "I'm a sock", it worked for me.
Why can I translate it with "It is..." or "That is..." but not with "This is..."? It's more an english-question, I'm not native speaker.
- 954
In Swedish you could say Det är … , Det där är … (= that is), Det här är … or Detta är …. (= this is)
As a translation for Det är, we approve both It is … and That is … because a) that is used more often in English than det där in Swedish, b) you can make Det är… mean That is … if you stress det. But if you want to be really clear in Swedish that you're saying That is …, you would have said Det där är ….
For this course, we don't accept the answer This is … for Det är …. We feel that if we had wanted to say that, we would have said Det här är … or Detta är ….
Tbh it could also be this is my sock. And imo that is my socks is wrong since strumpa is singular and strumpor plural
- 954
Not quite, this is would be det här är. On the other hand if you stress det, det är can mean that is, so that's OK. But it is … is the best translation.
You're right that it can't be my socks of course since that would be mina strumpor.
