Jag letar efter bussbiljetten.

I am looking for the bus ticket.

Breakdown of Jag letar efter bussbiljetten.

• jag: I
• leta efter: to look for
• bussbiljetten: the bus ticket

Questions & Answers about Jag letar efter bussbiljetten.

What does the verb phrase leta efter mean, and do I need the efter?

It means to look for / search for. When you mention what you’re looking for, you must include efter: Jag letar efter bussbiljetten. Without efter, leta sounds incomplete unless the object is left implicit (e.g., Jag letar = “I’m looking [for something]”).

Why is it efter here and not för, since English uses “for”?

Swedish uses the fixed combination leta efter to mean “look for.” The preposition för is used in other meanings of “for,” but not with leta. Think of leta efter as a set phrase.

But doesn’t efter usually mean “after”? How can it mean “for”?

Yes, efter often means “after” (e.g., Efter filmen gick vi hem = “After the movie we went home”). It also appears in a few set expressions where English uses “for,” such as leta efter (“look for”) and vara ute efter (“be after/looking for”).

Can I say Jag letar bussbiljetten without efter?

No. That’s ungrammatical. Use Jag letar efter bussbiljetten. The verb leta needs efter when you specify the thing you’re looking for.