Breakdown of Strömavbrottet var en katastrof för bageriet.
vara
to be
en
a, an (common)
för
for, to
bageriet
the bakery
strömavbrottet
the power outage
katastrofen
the disaster
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.
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