Breakdown of Jag är irriterad på att lyssna på hissmusiken i talsvaret.
jag
I
vara
to be
lyssna på
to listen to
i
in
att
to
irriterad på
irritated with
hissmusiken
the elevator music
talsvaret
the voice response
Questions & Answers about Jag är irriterad på att lyssna på hissmusiken i talsvaret.
Why is the Swedish translation på att lyssna instead of a gerund like "listening"?
Swedish does not have an "-ing" form (gerund) that acts like a noun after prepositions. Instead, you use the preposition (på) followed by att + infinitive (lyssna). This preposition + att + infinitive pattern is the standard way to translate English preposition + gerund constructions.
The word på appears twice here (irriterad på and lyssna på). Is that correct?
Yes, and it is completely natural! The first på is tied to the adjective irriterad because you are "irritated at" or "irritated by" something (irriterad på). The second på is tied to the verb lyssna, because in Swedish you "listen on" something (lyssna på). They just happen to belong to different parts of the sentence.
Why is it irriterad and not irriterande?
Irriterad is the past participle and describes how you feel ("irritated"), just like the "-ed" ending in English. If you used the present participle irriterande ("irritating" or "annoying"), the sentence Jag är irriterande would mean "I am annoying" to other people!
What exactly does talsvaret mean?
It is a compound of tal (speech) and svar (answer), plus the definite suffix -et. It is the everyday Swedish word for an automated telephone menu, interactive voice response system, or voicemail.
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