Breakdown of Vi var tvungna att slänga degen.
vi
we
degen
the dough
vara tvungen att
to have to
slänga
to throw away (casual, to toss)
Questions & Answers about Vi var tvungna att slänga degen.
Why does this sentence use tvungna instead of tvungen?
Because the subject Vi (We) is plural. The word tvungen acts like an adjective in this structure, so it has to match the subject. If the subject was singular, like Jag (I), it would be Jag var tvungen att..., but for plural subjects we add an -a to make it tvungna.
Is att required after var tvungna?
Yes! The phrase var tvungen att (or var tvungna att in the plural) is a fixed expression meaning 'had to' or 'was forced to.' It is always followed by att and the infinitive verb, which is slänga (to throw away) in this sentence.
Does slänga mean 'to throw' like throwing a ball, or specifically 'to throw away'?
While slänga can sometimes mean to toss something casually, it is the most common verb in Swedish for throwing something in the trash. If you are talking about throwing a ball or a frisbee to someone, you would usually use the word kasta instead.
What is the base form of the word degen?
The base word is en deg (a dough). Because this sentence refers to a specific batch of dough, we add the definite ending -en to make it degen (the dough).