Question 1

Does motiveringen mean the same thing as the English word "motivation"?

Accepted Answer

It's a false friend! While the verb motivera can mean both "to motivate" and "to justify," the noun motivering almost always means a "justification," "explanation," or "statement of reasons" (such as the grounds for an award). If you mean "motivation" in the sense of personal drive or enthusiasm, the correct Swedish word is motivation.

Question 2

Why does the sentence use till instead of för to translate "for"?

Accepted Answer

In Swedish, till is frequently used to show a strong association or "belonging" between two nouns, much like "to" or "of" in English (for example, nyckeln till dörren - the key to the door). Motiveringen till nomineringen treats the justification as an essential part belonging to that specific nomination. Translating "for" directly as för here would sound unnatural.

Question 3

Both motiveringen and nomineringen end in -ingen. How are these nouns formed?

Accepted Answer

These words are formed by taking verbs (motivera, nominera), dropping the final -a, and adding the suffix -ing to turn them into nouns. Nouns ending in -ing in Swedish are almost always en-words. Because this sentence requires the definite form ("the justification," "the nomination"), they both get the standard definite suffix -en, resulting in motiveringen and nomineringen.

Question 4

Since Swedish loves compound words, could you combine these into nomineringsmotiveringen?

Accepted Answer

Grammatically, yes! You can link these concepts into a compound word using a joining -s-. However, when dealing with two long, abstract nouns that both end in -ing, separating them with a preposition like till usually flows much better in a sentence and is easier to read.

Vi läste motiveringen till nomineringen.

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