Questions & Answers about Han ger upp ambitionen att vara perfekt.
Why do we use att vara right after the noun? Shouldn't there be a preposition?
When you explain what an abstract noun like ambitionen (the ambition) actually is, you link it directly using att plus the infinitive. This is called noun complementation. You don't need to add a preposition like med or för before att vara (to be) in this case.
Can I split the verb and put the object in the middle, like Han ger ambitionen upp?
No. ger upp (gives up) is a Swedish particle verb, and unlike English, the particle (upp) almost always stays firmly attached right after the verb. You must keep them together and say ger upp ambitionen.
perfekt ends in a T. Is that because it describes an ett word?
Not in this case! The base form of the adjective meaning perfect actually ends in a T: perfekt. It is describing Han (he), so it stays in its normal base form. If it were describing a plural subject, it would change to perfekta.
Why use the definite form ambitionen instead of the indefinite en ambition?
He isn't giving up just any ambition; he is giving up a specific one (the ambition to be perfect). Just like in English, Swedish often uses the definite form when the noun is immediately defined or specified by the phrase that follows it.