Breakdown of Han föredrar att laga leksaken med tejp istället för lim.
han
he
att
to
leksaken
the toy
med
with
föredra
to prefer
istället för
instead of
laga
to mend, repair
limmet
the glue
tejpen
the tape
Questions & Answers about Han föredrar att laga leksaken med tejp istället för lim.
How is med being used in this sentence?
Here, med shows the material or tool used to perform an action, which is repairing the toy. Notice that we just say med tejp and istället för lim without an article like en or ett. This is because tape and glue are treated as uncountable materials here, exactly as they are in English.
I thought laga meant to cook. Why is it used for a toy here?
The verb laga actually means to prepare, fix, or put something in order. When you use it with food, as in laga mat, it translates to cooking. But when you use it with a broken object like leksaken, it means to repair or fix it.
Is istället för always written as two words?
Yes, it is the standard way to write 'instead of' in modern Swedish. It originally comes from three words meaning 'in the place for' (i stället för), and you will sometimes still see it written that way, but istället för is perfectly correct and acts as a single phrase connecting two alternatives.
Why do we need att before laga?
The verb föredrar (prefers) requires the infinitive marker att (to) before the next verb. Just like in English where you say 'prefers to repair' rather than 'prefers repair', Swedish requires att to link the main verb with the action.
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