Breakdown of De befordrade min kollega till överläkare.
de
they
min
my (min/mitt/mina)
kollegan
the colleague
till
as (in appointments)
Questions & Answers about De befordrade min kollega till överläkare.
Why is there no article before överläkare?
When talking about a promotion, appointment, or transformation into a role, Swedish uses till followed by a bare noun (a noun without en or ett). Just like you would say utbilda sig till läkare (train to be a doctor), here the structure is befordrade till överläkare.
Do verbs like befordra always use till for the new role?
Yes. Verbs dealing with appointments, promotions, or elections—such as befordra (to promote), utse (to appoint), and välja (to elect)—all use the preposition till to introduce the new title. You cannot use som (as) in this specific structure.
The word kollega ends in -a. Is it an en-word or ett-word, and how is the plural formed?
It is an en-word (en kollega). Because it is an older loanword, its plural can be a bit unpredictable for learners: you will see both kollegor and kolleger. Both are grammatically correct and very common.
What does the prefix över- signify in överläkare?