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.

Why is it bussbiljett-en with -en? Isn’t a word ending in “-ett” usually an “ett-word”?

Spelling is misleading here. Biljett is an en-word (common gender): en biljett, biljetten. The compound bussbiljett inherits the gender of its head (biljett), so it’s en bussbiljett, bussbiljetten (not -et).

What’s the difference between bussbiljett and bussbiljetten?

• bussbiljett (indefinite): “a bus ticket,” any ticket.
• bussbiljetten (definite): “the bus ticket,” a specific, known ticket. So: Jag letar efter en bussbiljett = I’m looking for a bus ticket (any). Jag letar efter bussbiljetten = I’m looking for the bus ticket (the specific one).

Why don’t we say den bussbiljetten?

Swedish usually marks definiteness with a suffix on the noun: bussbiljetten. You add a separate article (den) only with adjectives (“double definiteness”): den försvunna bussbiljetten (“the lost bus ticket”).

Why is bussbiljetten one word and not two?

Swedish joins nouns into compounds: buss + biljett → bussbiljett. The last part is the head and decides gender and endings: bussbiljetten, bussbiljetter, bussbiljetterna.

How do I say the plural versions?

• Indefinite plural: bussbiljetter (“bus tickets”).
• Definite plural: bussbiljetterna (“the bus tickets”). Examples: Jag letar efter bussbiljetter / Jag letar efter bussbiljetterna.

Where does inte go?

Place it after the verb: Jag letar inte efter bussbiljetten. Don’t put it at the very end: ✗ Jag letar efter bussbiljetten inte.

How do I turn this into a question?

• Yes/no: Letar du efter bussbiljetten?
• Wh-question (preposition at end, common in speech): Vad letar du efter?
• More formal: Efter vad letar du?

Can I front the object for emphasis?

Yes. Swedish is V2, so the verb stays second: Bussbiljetten letar jag efter, with emphasis on the ticket.

Which pronoun replaces bussbiljetten?

Use den (it’s an en-word): Jag letar efter den. For neuter words (ett-words), use det; for plural, dem.

What are the basic forms of leta?

• Infinitive: att leta
• Present: letar
• Past (preterite): letade
• Supine (with har): letat (e.g., har letat)
• Imperative: leta!

How do I express the English -ing form “I’m looking”?

Use the simple present: Jag letar covers both “I look” and “I’m looking.” If you really want to stress ongoing action, you can say Jag håller på att leta (efter …).

What’s the difference between leta efter and hitta?

• leta efter = to look for/search for (process).
• hitta = to find (result). Example: Jag letar efter bussbiljetten, men jag hittar den inte.

Can I use söker instead of letar efter?

Sometimes, but be careful. Söka can mean “search” or “apply for.” For physically looking around, leta efter is the default. Söker efter is possible in more formal/written contexts. Söker jobb means “apply for a job.”

Any useful related verbs/phrases with leta?

• leta igenom = search through (e.g., leta igenom väskan).
• leta upp = track down/locate (and actually find).
• leta reda på = find/figure out (obtain the information or location).

How do I pronounce the words here?

• Jag: often like “yah,” the final g is commonly dropped in speech.
• letar: “LEH-tar,” with a long e.
• efter: “EF-ter,” short e like in “bet.”
• buss: short, rounded u (not like English “oo”).
• biljetten: “bil-YET-ten” (j = English y; double t means a short vowel before it).