Breakdown of Vi verkade för nervösa för att fortsätta utan kartan.
vi
we
att
to
för
for, to
kartan
the map
nervös
nervous
fortsätta
to continue
verka
to seem, to appear
utan
without (+ noun)
Questions & Answers about Vi verkade för nervösa för att fortsätta utan kartan.
Why do we need för att before the verb instead of just att?
This is the core of the excessive construction. When you want to say you are too much of something to do a certain action, Swedish uses för plus an adjective plus för att plus an infinitive. So too nervous to continue translates as för nervösa för att fortsätta.
Why is the adjective nervösa plural here?
Because it describes vi (we), which is plural. Even though it is separated from the subject by the linking verb verkade (seemed), the adjective must still agree with the subject it describes by taking the plural -a ending.
Could I use så instead of the first för in this sentence?
No, because that changes the grammatical structure. för nervösa means too nervous, which pairs perfectly with för att (too nervous to). If you used så nervösa (so nervous), you would have to change the second half of the sentence to an att-clause, such as att vi inte kunde fortsätta (that we could not continue).
Is there a rule for why kartan is in the definite form here?
kartan is the definite form, meaning the map. Just like in English, because the speaker is talking about relying on one specific, known map to navigate, we use the definite form after the preposition utan (without).
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