Word
De bad oss att böja och sträcka leden.
Meaning
They asked us to bend and stretch the joint.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about De bad oss att böja och sträcka leden.
How is the indirect request formed here?
The reporting verb bad (asked) is followed by the object oss (us), and then the infinitive marker att (to) plus the action. This pattern (be + object + att + infinitive) is the standard way to report a command or request in Swedish.
What is the base form of the verb bad?
The base form (infinitive) is be, which means to ask, pray, or beg. It is an irregular verb you should memorize: be (infinitive), ber (present), bad (past), and bett (supine).
Do I need to repeat att before sträcka?
No, it is usually dropped. When two infinitive verbs are connected by och (and), you generally only use att before the first one. This is exactly like saying to bend and stretch in English instead of to bend and to stretch.
Doesn't leden usually mean the trail or path?
It can! The noun en led has multiple meanings. While it often means a trail (like the famous hiking trail Kungsleden), in an anatomical context it means a joint in the body. The verbs böja (bend) and sträcka (stretch) give you the context clues you need here.