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Lika Likadan
Lika Likadan
Lika Likadan
This one you probably know, but it is worth to revise. Lika is also used to say that two things share the same quality.
Also pay attention to the fact that lik/likt/lika can be used only as predicate, that is, after the noun it refers to, and after är/var.
It is also worth noting that something can be more or less lik/likt/lika something else:
Min jacka är mycket lik din.
Mitt hus är ganska likt ditt.
Liknar
In meaning, liknar means the same as lik/likt/lika, only it is a verb.
Liknande
Again, in meaning, liknande means exactly the same as lik/likt/lika. It appears in a very different part of a sentence though, always referring to
a previous statement.
På mitt förra jobb arbetade vi branschöverskrivande. Nu tänker jag starta ett liknande projekt.
[At my last job, we worked across sectors. Now, we are planning to start a similar project.]
Liknande can only be used as an attribute (before the noun), never as a predicate (after the noun).
Min jacka är likadan (som) din. [My coat looks exactly the same as yours]
Mitt hus är likadant (som) ditt. [My house looks exactly the same as yours]
Mina skor är likadana (som) dina. [My shoes look exactly the same as yours.
What is also interesting, is that as opposed to lik/likt/lika, likadan/likadant/likadana can be used also as an attribute, that is, before the noun it
describes.
Jag har en likadan jacka som du. [My coat looks exactly the same as yours]
Jag har ett likadant hus som du. [My house looks exactly the same as yours]
Vilken fin jacka du har. Jag har en likadan. [You have such a nice coat. I have one that looks the same]
An important detail about likadan/likadant/likadana is that these words cannot be more or less than they are:
One funny detail about likadan, is that it is often used together with ser ut [looks like], låter [sounds like] and verkar [seems like]:
This shows that from the point of view of the person who states this, something may appear the same, but admittedly only because that
person is not knowledgeable in the subject. I know nothing about classical music, but to an expert, there are plenty of differences between
different styles. The twins may look the same to non-family members, but their parents have no problem telling them apart. The new project
may look exactly like the previous one, but that is only because we don’t know all the details yet.
Samma
Samma in Swedish is more the same than the English equivalent. It means exactly the same item, not an identical one.
It gets interesting though, from a philosophical point of view when you start thinking of what you are comparing:
The haircut is in itself conceptual, so they can have exactly the same haircut. The hair in itself though, they cannot share, so the hair will have
to be likadan.
The first example refers to two separate, physical items of clothing, whereas the second example refers to the design, the idea, the brand.