Breakdown of Igår var vi tvungna att tillsätta löpet och pressa osten.
vi
we
och
and
igår
yesterday
osten
the cheese
tillsätta
to add
vara tvungen att
to have to
löpet
the rennet
pressa
to press (squeeze, force)
Questions & Answers about Igår var vi tvungna att tillsätta löpet och pressa osten.
Why is it tvungna and not tvungen here?
The word tvungen (forced / obliged) functions as an adjective in Swedish. Because the subject vi (we) is plural, it must take the plural form tvungna. If the subject were singular, it would be Igår var jag tvungen (Yesterday I had to).
Can I use måste instead of var tvungna to express "had to"?
Yes, you can say Igår måste vi... because måste can function as both present and past tense. However, using var tvungen/tvungna att (literally "was/were forced to") is extremely common in Swedish to make it completely unambiguous that the obligation happened in the past.
Both tillsätta and lägga till mean "to add". Why use tillsätta here?
Tillsätta is used specifically for adding ingredients to a mixture or recipe, as well as for appointing someone to a position. For adding a comment to a conversation or an extra item to a list, you would use the phrasal verb lägga till.
What gender is the word löpe (rennet), and how is its definite form built here?
Löpe is an ett-word (ett löpe). Because it already ends in a vowel, you only need to add -t to make it definite, resulting in löpet (the rennet).
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