Evaluating Actions with "Att"
When you want to express a judgment about doing something—like saying a task is difficult or necessary—you pair an adjective directly with an infinitive verb.
To build these sentences, start with the dummy pronoun det (it), followed by är (is), the adjective, and the infinitive marker att (to) before the verb.
Because the dummy pronoun det acts as an ett-word, the adjective must always be in its ett-form (usually by adding a -t to the end). For example, svår (difficult) becomes svårt, and nödvändig (necessary) becomes nödvändigt.
| It is difficult to understand the technology. | Det är svårt att förstå tekniken. |
| It is necessary to handle the problem now. | Det är nödvändigt att hantera problemet nu. |
Invariable Adjectives
Adjectives ending in -ande (such as frustrerande) are invariable. They never add a -t, even when paired with det.
| It is troublesome and frustrating to make mistakes. | Det är besvärligt och frustrerande att göra fel. |
Feelings and Opinions
These evaluations aren't limited to the verb är. You can also use verbs like känns (feels) or express what someone thinks with tycker att.
| It feels frustrating and meaningless to wait. | Det känns frustrerande och meningslöst att vänta. |
| The boys think that it is tough to clean the room. | Pojkarna tycker att det är jobbigt att städa rummet. |
Describing Nouns vs. Describing Actions
Pay close attention to adjective agreement. When describing a specific en-word (like en situation), the adjective takes its base form. However, the adjective evaluating the general action (det är...) still takes the -t ending.
| What an embarrassing situation! It is difficult to forget. | Vilken pinsam situation! Det är svårt att glömma. |