Breakdown of Vi var för stressade för att hitta säkerhetslinan.
vara
to be
vi
we
hitta
to find
att
to
för
for, to
stressad
stressed
säkerhetslinan
the safety line
Questions & Answers about Vi var för stressade för att hitta säkerhetslinan.
Why is it för att hitta and not just att hitta for "to find"?
When saying something is "too [adjective] to do [something]", Swedish uses the specific pattern för + adjective/adverb + för att + infinitive. Even though för att usually translates to "in order to", it is strictly required here to complete the "too... to..." structure. You cannot drop the second för.
Why does stressade end in -ade instead of just -a for the plural?
The word stressad is a past participle acting as an adjective. In Swedish, words ending in -ad change to -ade in the plural, rather than just adding an -a. Since the subject vi (we) is plural, it must be stressade.
How does the compound word säkerhetslinan break down?
It combines säkerhet (safety) and lina (line or rope) using a linking -s- in the middle. The -n at the very end is the definite suffix for an en-word ending in a vowel, making it "the safety line".
Do the two för words in this sentence sound the same when spoken?
They are spelled the same, but they are stressed differently. The first för (meaning "too") gets strong emphasis because it carries important meaning. The second för (part of för att) is unstressed and said very quickly, often blending into the sentence.
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