Breakdown of Den gamla lampan flyttas bort för att ändra effekten.
att
to
gammal
old
för
for, to
den
the (with en-words)
ändra
to change (alter, modify)
lampan
the lamp
flytta
to move
bort
away (motion)
effekten
the effect
Questions & Answers about Den gamla lampan flyttas bort för att ändra effekten.
Why do we use bort here instead of borta?
bort indicates direction or motion, meaning "away" (moving away from the current spot). Because the lamp is actively being moved (flyttas), we need this directional form. If the lamp were already sitting in a distant location or had gone missing, we would use the positional form borta.
Why does the verb flyttas end in an -s?
This is the passive voice, often called the s-passive in Swedish. By taking the present tense verb flyttar (moves) and replacing the final 'r' with an -s, it changes to flyttas (is moved / is being moved). We use the passive voice here because the sentence focuses on what happens to the lamp, rather than on who is moving it.
I see Den gamla lampan means "the old lamp". Why is the adjective gamla instead of gammal?
Whenever you use a freestanding definite article like Den (the) before an adjective and a noun, the adjective must take its definite form, which almost always ends in -a. The noun also keeps its definite suffix (lampan), a feature known as double definiteness. Note that gammal is slightly irregular and drops an 'm' and an 'a' to become gamla.
Why does the sentence use för att ändra rather than just att ändra to say "to change"?
för att specifically translates to "in order to" or "for the purpose of". Whenever you are explaining why an action is being done (the lamp is moved in order to change the effect), you must use för att. If you only used att, the sentence would feel incomplete and fail to express the purpose.
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