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Questions & Answers about Vi väntade på tåget igår.
Why does the sentence use på instead of a word that translates directly to "for"?
In Swedish, the verb vänta (to wait) is almost always paired with the preposition på. While English speakers say "wait for", Swedish speakers literally say "wait on" (väntar på). Prepositions rarely translate perfectly word-for-word, so it is best to memorize vänta på as a set phrase.
How can I tell that väntade is in the past tense?
The base verb is vänta, which is a regular Group 1 verb. To form the past tense for Group 1 verbs, you add -de to the end, making it väntade. You will often recognize these verbs because they end in -ade in the past tense.
Why is the word for train tåget and not just tåg?
The English sentence says "the train", which means the Swedish noun needs to be in its definite form. Since tåg is an ett word (ett tåg), you add the suffix -et to the end to make it tåget (the train).
Can I put the time word igår at the beginning of the sentence?