Breakdown of Han oroar sig för att uppkopplingen är dålig på landet.
vara
to be
han
he
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
landet
the countryside
för
for, to
att
that
dålig
bad
oroa sig
to worry
uppkopplingen
the connection
Questions & Answers about Han oroar sig för att uppkopplingen är dålig på landet.
Why is there a för before att in oroar sig för att?
In English, you usually just say "worries that" without a preposition. But in Swedish, if a verb naturally takes a specific preposition—like oroa sig för (worry about)—you generally keep that preposition even when connecting it to an att (that) clause. It literally translates to "He worries about that..."
What is the purpose of sig here?
It makes the verb reflexive. The base verb att oroa means "to worry" in the sense of causing worry to someone else. To say that you are worried or that you worry yourself, you use the reflexive form oroa sig. Since the subject is han (he), the correct reflexive pronoun is sig.
How does the word uppkopplingen break down?
It comes from the phrasal verb koppla upp, which specifically means "to connect" to the internet or a network. The noun form is en uppkoppling (a connection), and the -en suffix makes it definite: "the connection".
Why do we say på landet instead of i landet for "in the countryside"?
The noun land means both "nation" and "countryside". When it means "the countryside", Swedish always pairs it with the preposition på, giving us the fixed phrase på landet. If you were to say i landet, it would mean "in the country" as in inside a specific nation's borders.
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