Breakdown of Min klasskamrat brukade skolka för att spela fotboll.
spela
to play
fotboll
football
att
to
för
for, to
min
my (min/mitt/mina)
bruka
to usually do
skolka
to skip school
klasskamraten
the classmate
Questions & Answers about Min klasskamrat brukade skolka för att spela fotboll.
Why does skolka come directly after brukade without an att?
Brukade means "used to" and acts as a helping verb for past habits. Just like other helping verbs in Swedish (such as kan or vill), it is followed directly by the bare infinitive of the next verb. So we say brukade skolka, not brukade att skolka.
Why do we use för att here instead of just att spela fotboll?
We use för att because it translates to "in order to". Whenever you are explaining the specific purpose or reason behind an action (skipping school in order to play football), you need the full phrase för att before the infinitive verb, rather than just att.
Does skolka apply to skipping any kind of event?
No, skolka specifically means to skip school or play truant. If you want to talk about skipping a different kind of event, like a meeting or a meal, you would use a different phrase, such as hoppa över.
Why use spela for playing football instead of leka?
In Swedish, spela is used when you are playing a structured game, a sport with rules, or a musical instrument. The verb leka is reserved for unstructured play, like children playing make-believe with toys.
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