"We live on the same floor."

Translation: Vi bor på samma våning.

[spiffwalker]

So why is the definite article left out here?

Could it also be: "Vi bor på den samma våning." ?

[Zmrzlina]

Samma does not need or use definite forms.

[creativemetaphor]

But why doesn't 'floor' use a definite form here? Would this be constructed differently if it said something like "we live on the third floor"?

[Zmrzlina]

Yes, in that case it'd be "tredje våningen". The adjectice samma can't be used with a definite noun.

[creativemetaphor]

Ah, I see. Thanks for the clarification :)

[LenaStorli]

No, it would actually be "fjärde våningen"! Floors are counted different in Sweden: "första våningen" is "ground floor", "andra våningen" is "first floor", and so on.

[Zmrzlina]

Sadly, both a system with ground floor, then first, then second and a system with first (ground), then second, then third etc. are used.

[EunieceHar]

Couldn't you also say Vi bor på samma golvet?

[devalanteriel]

No, for two reasons:

1. samma always takes the indefinite, i.e. samma golv
2. golv means "floor" as in "thing you walk on", not as in "vertical section of a building"

[Peter147810]

i samma våning = in the same apartment?

[devalanteriel]

No, i samma våning just doesn't make sense. Technically, the våning refers to 2D so "in" doesn't work.

[Nathalie866349]

Våning,-en,
Våningar,-na right?

[devalanteriel]

Yes, that's correct.

[Nathalie866349]

Tack!!