Breakdown of Han saknar självförtroende att argumentera för lönen.
han
he
att
to
för
for, to
lönen
the salary
sakna
to miss (feel the absence of)
självförtroendet
the self-confidence
argumentera
to argue (reason, debate)
Questions & Answers about Han saknar självförtroende att argumentera för lönen.
Does saknar here mean "to miss" like in "I miss you"?
While saknar is commonly used to mean "to miss" someone emotionally, its other primary meaning is "to lack" or "to be without" something. In this context, it simply means he lacks self-confidence.
The current lesson is about verbs like törs taking a bare infinitive. Why is att used before argumentera here?
The verb törs (dare to) is a semi-modal verb, so it drops the infinitive marker. For example, you would say han törs argumentera (he dares to argue). But in our sentence, the infinitive argumentera isn't following a modal verb; it is attached to the noun självförtroende (self-confidence). When an infinitive modifies a noun, you must include the marker att.
What does the preposition för add to argumentera?
The phrase argumentera för specifically means "to argue in favor of" or "to advocate for". If he were arguing against a certain salary proposal, you would use argumentera emot instead.
What is the difference between självförtroende and självkänsla?
Självförtroende (from själv + förtroende) refers to "self-confidence", which is your belief in your own abilities to perform tasks like arguing for a salary. Självkänsla refers to "self-esteem", which is your internal sense of self-worth regardless of your performance or skills.
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