Breakdown of Vi tog en tidig buss till staden.
en
a, an (common)
staden
the city
till
to (direction, destination)
ta
to take
bussen
the bus
tidig
early (adjective)
Questions & Answers about Vi tog en tidig buss till staden.
Why is the adjective tidig used here instead of tidigt?
Tidig matches the noun buss, which is a singular en word (en buss). If the noun were an ett word, like ett tåg (a train), it would be ett tidigt tåg.
Why does the sentence use tog en buss instead of åkte buss?
When talking about the general mode of transport, Swedish uses att åka buss (to go by bus) without an article. But because we are talking about a specific scheduled vehicle here (an early bus), we use att ta (to take) and include the article, just like in English.
I usually hear people say stan for the city. Why does this sentence use staden?
Staden is the standard written definite form of en stad (a city). Stan is the common spoken form, which is also often written in casual contexts, but staden is grammatically correct for formal writing.
The English translation says into the city, but the Swedish just says till staden. Could I use in i instead?
You could say in till staden to emphasize the movement from the outskirts into the center, but till (to) is perfectly natural and common for travel destinations. Using in i staden would sound a bit too literal, like physically stepping inside a container or walls.
Learn Vi tog en tidig buss till staden and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free