Breakdown of Regissören lät monstret animeras i datorn.
i
in
datorn
the computer
regissören
the director
låta
to let, allow
Questions & Answers about Regissören lät monstret animeras i datorn.
Why is lät used here to mean 'had'?
While låta commonly means 'to let' or 'to sound', here it acts as a causative verb. This means it describes arranging for someone else to do an action. To express that the director 'had the monster animated', Swedish uses lät + object + passive infinitive (animeras).
What is the grammatical form of animeras?
It is a passive infinitive. The -s ending turns the active infinitive animera (to animate) into the passive animeras (to be animated). It stays in the infinitive form because it is governed by the main verb lät.
Could I translate 'had the monster animated' literally using hade?
No, that is a common pitfall for English speakers. Swedish does not use ha (to have) to express having a service or action done by a third party. You must use the construction shown in this sentence: låta + object + passive infinitive.
Why use the preposition i for i datorn?
When talking about digital creation, files, or software processes, Swedish generally uses i datorn (literally 'in the computer'). You would use på (on) if you were referring to the physical machine itself, such as placing an object on top of the computer.