Breakdown of Forskaren använde utrustningen i stället för att vänta på bidraget.
att
to
använda
to use
forskaren
the researcher
utrustningen
the equipment
vänta på
to wait for
bidraget
the grant / the contribution
i stället för
instead of
Questions & Answers about Forskaren använde utrustningen i stället för att vänta på bidraget.
Why does this sentence use att vänta (to wait) when the English translation says "waiting"?
In English, prepositions are usually followed by an "-ing" word, like "instead of waiting". Swedish doesn't use "-ing" verb forms this way. Instead, after a compound preposition like i stället för, you use att plus the infinitive (basic) form of the verb. Literally, the Swedish structure translates as "in place for to wait".
I know för means "for", so why does the sentence use vänta på?
In Swedish, the verb vänta (to wait) almost always takes the preposition på when you are waiting for a specific thing or person. Translating the English "wait for" directly to vänta för is a very common beginner mistake, so it is best to memorize vänta på as a fixed pair.
Why is "the grant" written as bidraget instead of bidragen?
Bidrag is an ett-word. To make an ett-word definite (meaning "the"), you add -et to the end. If it were an en-word, it would end in -en like forskaren (the researcher) and utrustningen (the equipment). Writing bidragen with an "-en" ending would actually make it the plural definite form, meaning "the grants".
Can I write istället as one single word here?
You will often see istället written as one word in everyday Swedish texts. However, the formally correct way—and the standard rule when it connects with för to form the compound preposition meaning "instead of"—is to write it as three separate words: i stället för.
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