Breakdown of Vi sorterar ju skräpet för att skydda miljön.
vi
we
att
to
för
for, to
skräpet
the trash
ju
as you know / of course
sortera
to sort
skydda
to protect
miljön
the environment
Questions & Answers about Vi sorterar ju skräpet för att skydda miljön.
Why do we use för att here instead of just att?
För att translates to "in order to" or "for the purpose of". In Swedish, when you want to explain the specific reason why an action is being done, you use för att followed by a verb in its infinitive form, like skydda (protect). Just using att wouldn't properly express the purpose of the action.
What exactly does the word ju do in this sentence?
Ju is a small particle word that often translates to "as you know," "obviously," or "of course." By placing ju after the verb, the speaker is gently reminding the listener of a shared fact, implying that both of you already agree on why you sort the rubbish.
How can we tell the gender of skräp and miljö just from reading this sentence?
You can figure it out by looking at their definite suffixes (the "the" endings). Skräpet (the rubbish) ends in -et, which tells you it is an ett-word (ett skräp). Miljön (the environment) ends in -n, which tells you it is an en-word that ends in a vowel (en miljö).
If I wanted to start the sentence with the phrase "In order to protect the environment...", how would the word order change?
Because of the Swedish V2 rule (the verb must be the second block of information in a main clause), the verb sorterar has to come right after that introductory phrase. It would become: För att skydda miljön sorterar vi ju skräpet.
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