Breakdown of Det var för mörkt för att se stupet.
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
att
to
se
to see
för
for, to
mörk
dark
stupet
the precipice
Questions & Answers about Det var för mörkt för att se stupet.
Why do we use för att instead of just att here?
In Swedish, to express that something is 'too [adjective] to [do something]', you use the construction för ... för att. Even though English just uses the word 'to' (too dark to see), Swedish requires för att, which normally translates as 'in order to'.
Could I say för mörkt att se without the second för?
No, you cannot drop the second för in this construction. When using för to mean 'too' before an adjective or adverb, it must be paired with för att before the infinitive verb. Leaving it out is grammatically incorrect in Swedish.
Why is the adjective mörkt spelled with a t at the end instead of just mörk?
The adjective mörk (dark) gets a -t added to it because it describes the dummy subject det. When talking about weather, light, or general conditions using det var or det är, the adjective must take the neuter form.
How can we tell the gender of the word for precipice from this sentence?
We can see that it is an ett-word (ett stup) because it has the definite ending -et, making it stupet (the precipice). If it were an en-word, the definite form would end in -en.
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