Jag går till biblioteket idag för att studera.

I go to the library today to study.

Breakdown of Jag går till biblioteket idag för att studera.

• jag: I
• gå: to go
• till: to
• biblioteket: the library
• idag: today
• för att: to
• studera: to study

Questions & Answers about Jag går till biblioteket idag för att studera.

Why do we use går here instead of another verb?

In Swedish, går typically means that you are walking. You could also use åker if you are traveling by car, bus, or another vehicle. However, går is correct if you are saying you plan to walk to the library.

Why is it till biblioteket and not some other preposition?

The preposition till conveys the idea of going to a place. In English, you would say to the library, and till functions the same way here in Swedish. You use till for destinations when describing movement toward a place.

Why is the definite form biblioteket used instead of just ett bibliotek?

Swedish uses the definite form when referring to a specific place. Here, it is understood that there is likely one main library in mind, so biblioteket is used to show this is the library you have in mind. If you just said ett bibliotek, it would sound like some library, without being specific.

What is the purpose of för att in för att studera?

För att means in order to and introduces the purpose of the action. In English, you might say, I go to the library to study. In Swedish, we use för att before a verb to show why we are doing something.

Is it correct to say Jag går idag till biblioteket för att studera?

While Swedish word order can be flexible, placing idag after the verb often sounds more natural in this particular sentence. You can say Idag går jag till biblioteket för att studera to emphasize today, or Jag går till biblioteket idag to keep a fairly standard order. Both are acceptable, but the placement in the original sentence is very common and sounds natural.

How do I pronounce biblioteket and för att?

• Biblioteket: You can break it down as bib-li-o-TE-ket, with the stress on TE.
• För att: Pronounce för like fur (but with tighter lips), and att usually sounds closer to utt when spoken naturally. Sometimes för att blends to sound like föratt in rapid speech.