Breakdown of Det tar tid att utbilda sig till ingenjör.
det
it (neuter)
att
to
ta
to take
tiden
the time
ingenjören
the engineer
utbilda sig
to educate oneself
till
as (in appointments)
Questions & Answers about Det tar tid att utbilda sig till ingenjör.
Why do we use till ingenjör instead of "som en ingenjör"?
When talking about a transformation, training, or being appointed to a new role, Swedish uses till followed by a bare noun. You are literally educating yourself "into" an engineer. Using "som" would mean you are doing the training while already acting as an engineer.
Why is there no article (en) before ingenjör?
In Swedish, professions generally do not take an indefinite article when they describe a role, identity, or status. This rule applies perfectly with the preposition till for a change of status, which strictly requires a bare noun.
Why do we need the reflexive pronoun sig after utbilda?
The verb utbilda literally means "to educate" and requires an object. To express the intransitive English concept of "training" or "studying to become something", you must use the reflexive form utbilda sig (to educate oneself). Without sig, it sounds like you are educating someone else.
Is det tar tid the standard phrase for "it takes time"?
Yes, the verb tar is used for time duration in Swedish just like "takes" is in English. You can use it for a general sense of time as in this sentence, or for specific durations like det tar tre år (it takes three years).
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