Breakdown of Repet kändes för svagt för att hålla honom.
att
to
honom
him
för
for, to
hålla
to hold / to hold on to
kännas
to feel (to have a certain feel, to seem)
svag
weak
repet
the rope
Questions & Answers about Repet kändes för svagt för att hålla honom.
Why do we need för att here instead of just att?
In Swedish, to say something is 'too [adjective] to [verb]', you must use the structure för + adjective + för att + infinitive verb. English just uses 'to' before the verb, but Swedish literally says 'too weak in order to hold'. Leaving out the second för is a common trap for English speakers!_
Why is svagt spelled with a t at the end instead of just svag?
Adjectives must agree with the noun they describe, even when they come after a descriptive verb like kändes. Because repet (the rope) is an ett word, the adjective takes the neuter form, adding a -t to become svagt.
Why does the verb kändes end in an -s?
The standard verb känna means 'to feel' as an active action, like when you feel a surface with your hand. By adding an -s to make it kännas (past tense kändes), it becomes a descriptive verb meaning how something feels or appears to the observer. So repet kändes means 'the rope felt [to someone]'.
What is the exact difference between the two instances of för in this sentence?
The first för translates to 'too', making för svagt mean 'too weak'. The second för belongs to the phrase för att, which translates to 'in order to' or 'to' before the infinitive verb hålla. You need both pieces to make this specific excessive infinitive construction work.
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