Breakdown of Vi var tvungna att meddela att bageriet var stängt.
vara
to be
vi
we
bageriet
the bakery
att
that
stängd
closed
vara tvungen att
to have to
meddela
to announce
Questions & Answers about Vi var tvungna att meddela att bageriet var stängt.
Why is it tvungna here instead of tvungen?
Because tvungen acts like an adjective, it has to agree with the subject. Since the subject here is the plural vi (we), you must use the plural form tvungna. If the subject were singular, like jag (I), you would use var tvungen att.
There are two atts in this sentence. Are they doing the same thing?
No, they serve different purposes. The first att is the infinitive marker before the verb, translating to "to" in "to announce" (att meddela). The second att is a conjunction that connects the two clauses, translating to "that" in "announce that the bakery was closed."
Why does stängt end in a "t" here instead of being stängd?
The word for "closed" must agree with the noun it describes. Because it describes bageriet, which is an ett word (ett bageri), the adjective takes the neuter -t ending to become stängt.
Does the word meddela have anything to do with the word med (with)?
Yes! It literally comes from sharing a part (del) with (med) someone. Today it is the standard verb for "to announce", "to inform", or "to notify".
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