Breakdown of Idag är jag trött på att vänta i telefonkön till kundservicen.
jag
I
vara
to be
idag
today
i
in
att
to
till
for (to go with)
vänta
to wait / to expect (a baby)
trött på
tired of, fed up with
telefonkön
the phone queue
kundservicen
the customer service
Questions & Answers about Idag är jag trött på att vänta i telefonkön till kundservicen.
Why is it att vänta (to wait) here instead of a Swedish "-ing" word for "waiting"?
In English, a preposition is usually followed by an "-ing" word (a gerund), like "tired of waiting". Swedish does not use its "-ing" equivalent this way. Whenever you have a preposition like på followed by an action, you must use att + the infinitive. Therefore, trött på att vänta is the direct, correct translation of "tired of waiting".
Could I say trött av att vänta instead of trött på?
It would change the meaning! Trött på means you are mentally "tired of" or "fed up with" something. If you use trött av, it means you are physically exhausted from an activity. Here, you are annoyed by the wait, not physically drained by it, so på is the right choice.
Why does the sentence use till kundservicen instead of för kundservicen?
In English, you wait in a queue "for" customer service, but Swedish views this spatially as a line leading towards a destination. Therefore, you use till (to) when talking about queues, connections, or phone lines directed to a specific department or person.
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