Breakdown of Kan jag göra ärendet åt dig?
jag
I
göra
to do, to make
kunna
to be able to, can
dig
you (singular)
åt
for (on behalf of), to
ärendet
the errand
Questions & Answers about Kan jag göra ärendet åt dig?
Why is åt used here to mean 'for' instead of för or till?
åt is used when you perform an action on someone's behalf, doing a task so they do not have to do it themselves. Since you are offering to take over their errand, åt is the right choice. till is used for physically giving something to someone, and för usually implies an abstract benefit or emotional interest.
Would it be completely wrong to use för here if I am doing it as a favor to benefit them?
Yes, it would sound unnatural in Swedish. Even though doing a favor benefits the person, the physical act involves taking a practical task off their hands. Whenever you substitute yourself to do a concrete chore or job for someone else, åt is the required preposition.
Why do we use göra here when the English translation says 'run'?
In Swedish, you do not use the verb for running (springa) when talking about errands. The standard everyday expression is göra ett ärende (literally 'to do an errand'). You might also hear the slightly more formal verb uträtta used for this purpose.
How would the sentence change if I wanted to ask 'Can I run some errands for you?' in the plural?
ärende is an ett word that ends in a vowel, so its plural form adds an -n to become ärenden. To offer to run multiple errands, you would say Kan jag göra några ärenden åt dig?
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