Breakdown of Forskaren använde utrustningen i stället för att vänta på bidraget.
att
to
använda
to use
forskaren
the researcher
utrustningen
the equipment
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?