Word
Det är lika frustrerande att vänta som att förlora.
Meaning
It is as frustrating to wait as to lose.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Det är lika frustrerande att vänta som att förlora.
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
att
to
vänta
to wait / to expect (a baby)
Questions & Answers about Det är lika frustrerande att vänta som att förlora.
How does the "adjective + infinitive" structure work in this sentence?
The sentence uses the pattern Det är (It is) followed by an adjective (frustrerande) and an infinitive verb with att (att vänta). In Swedish, just like in English, we use this structure to express an evaluation or opinion about doing a certain action. Because there is a comparison being made here, a second infinitive (att förlora) is added at the end of the sentence.
Why doesn't the adjective "frustrerande" get a "-t" ending to match the neuter subject "Det"?
Normally, an adjective following Det är gets a neuter -t ending (for example, Det är svårt). However, frustrerande is a present participle (a verb acting as an adjective, typically ending in -ande or -ende). These special adjectives are uninflected, meaning they never change their endings to match gender or number. They always look exactly the same!
How do we form the "as... as" comparison used in this sentence?
You use the structure lika [adjective] som. In this sentence, lika frustrerande som means "as frustrating as". You can use this exact same pattern to compare nouns, but here it is used to compare two infinitive verb phrases: att vänta and att förlora.
Could I use "tappa" instead of "förlora" to mean "to lose" in this context?