Vi öppnar luftvägen för att patienten ska andas.
We open the airway so that the patient will breathe.
Breakdown of Vi öppnar luftvägen för att patienten ska andas.
vi
we
ska
will
för
for, to
öppna
to open
att
that
andas
to breathe
patienten
the patient
luftvägen
the airway
Questions & Answers about Vi öppnar luftvägen för att patienten ska andas.
Why do we need the full clause patienten ska andas instead of just using an infinitive?
Because the subject changes. If the same people were doing both actions, you could use för att + infinitive (for example, Vi går ut för att andas - We go out to breathe). But here, "we" open the airway so that someone else (the patient) can breathe. When the subject changes, för att translates to "so that" and must be followed by a full subordinate clause. This clause usually uses ska (or skulle in the past tense) to show it is an intended goal.
Could I use så att instead of för att in this sentence?
Yes, så att patienten ska andas is also correct and very natural. The difference is quite subtle: för att strongly highlights the intended purpose or goal behind an action, while så att can sometimes just point to the logical result. In contexts like this one, they are practically interchangeable.
Does the -s on andas mean it is in the passive voice?
No, andas (to breathe) is a deponent verb. This means it always ends in -s but has an active, not passive, meaning. Other common deponent verbs you might have encountered are hoppas (to hope) and minnas (to remember).
Why is luftvägen in the singular form? In English, it is common to say "airways".
In Swedish medical and first-aid contexts, att öppna luftvägen (to open the airway) is a standard set phrase. Swedish conceptualizes the respiratory tract as one continuous channel here, so it prefers the singular form.
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