Learn Swedish: Orsaken till hatet är ofta bristen på förståelse. - The cause of the hate is often a lack of understanding.

In Swedish, abstract nouns dealing with reasons and causes usually take the preposition till. You can think of the cause pointing towards the result. You will also see this with similar words like en anledning till (a reason for).

Why is på used with bristen?

The noun brist (lack or shortage) dictates the use of the preposition på to introduce what is missing. While på often translates to 'on', prepositional complements for abstract nouns are fixed phrases that you simply have to memorize, like brist på (lack of).

The English translation says 'a lack', but the Swedish sentence uses the definite form bristen. Why?

Swedish often prefers the definite form for abstract nouns when they refer to a specific, identifiable concept in the sentence. Since we are identifying the specific lack that causes the hate, bristen is much more natural here than the indefinite en brist.

Why is förståelse indefinite when the other abstract nouns (orsaken, hatet, bristen) are in the definite form?

After expressions of quantity or absence, such as brist på (lack of), the following noun typically stays in the indefinite form. It acts like a general, uncountable substance rather than a specific item.