Word
Strömavbrottet var en katastrof för bageriet.
Meaning
The power outage was a disaster for the bakery.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Strömavbrottet var en katastrof för bageriet.
vara
to be
en
a, an (common)
för
for, to
bageriet
the bakery
Questions & Answers about Strömavbrottet var en katastrof för bageriet.
How does the word strömavbrottet break down?
It is a compound of ström (power or current) and avbrottet (the interruption or break). Since avbrott is an ett-word, the entire compound takes the definite -et suffix to mean the power outage.
Why is the definite form of bakery spelled bageriet?
Bageri (bakery) is an ett-word that ends in a vowel. To make it definite (the bakery), you add the -et suffix, resulting in bageriet. You will see this same pattern with similar business locations, like kaféet (the cafe) or bryggeriet (the brewery).
Could I use till instead of för here (en katastrof till bageriet)?
No, för is the correct choice. When describing the impact something has on someone or something, like being a disaster, a benefit, or a problem, Swedish uses för. Using till would sound like you are physically delivering a disaster to the bakery!
Is katastrof a cognate of the English word catastrophe?
Yes! They share the same root. Notice how Swedish adjusts the spelling to match its own phonetic rules: the English "c" becomes a k, the "ph" becomes an f, and there is no silent "e" at the end.