35 Comments
The bear population of Sweden is estimated to be around 2700. So not a lot, but enough to be an important part of wildlife. Bear is found only in the mid-to-northern parts of the country.
Tvättbjörn, näsbjörn, kattfrett, olingobjörn och veckelbjörn är inte riktig björnen. (Racoon, coati, ringtail, olingo and kinkajou) (Waschbär, Nasenbär, Katzenfrett, Schlankbär, Wickelbär)
No, riktig in Swedish most often refers to realness. But it can mean "correct" too, and although that usage is a bit rare it's not uncommon.
Is there any way to distinguish between 'it its not really a bear' and it is not a real bear'? I feel like it should be simple but I'm not sure
1877
real is an adjective, it describes the noun. not a real bear = inte en riktig björn e.g. - it is just a toy. But really (actually) is an adverb, reinforcing something more general in the whole phrase, so in this sentence It is not really a bear = Det är egentligen inte en björn we comment on the whole situation. Maybe someone gets scared when a big dog comes running, and has to be reassured, or two people are watching TV and differ in the impression of the animal, is it a bear or a dog?, or a child let a dog 'play' a bear, and then declares in a grown-up way 'Actually, it isn't a bear, It's really a dog'. etc.
You can spot the person who snoozed through grammar lessons, can't you? Thanks for such a thorough explanation.
- 1877
Both 'riktig' and 'god' has to be conjugated according to ett-words, so it would be Ett riktigt gott svar, though that sounds more 'Danish' in a way. A Swede would probably say Ett bra svar.
- 440
I wrote "a true bear", and it was refused. English is not my mother tongue, and I know this is not an English course. Isn't that correct in English?
It sould be "ingen riktig björn". Without the "en". I think that its English equivalent would be: "It's no real bear". You either say "not a/inte en" or "no/ingen". As for the possibility of using "den" instead of "det", I'm not sure.
This reminds me of this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihpG_NJ_T1g&ab_channel=muxer107
What is the correct pronunciation of 'Björn'? I thought it sounds more like 'bjurn', but I hear a normal 'o'. My brother's name is Bjorn (no ö) and on duo Björn sounds just like that.
