Breakdown of Kritiken handlar om företagets brist på respekt för användaren.
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
för
for, to
företaget
the company
handla om
to be about
bristen
the shortage
användaren
the user
kritiken
the criticism
respekten
the respect
Questions & Answers about Kritiken handlar om företagets brist på respekt för användaren.
Why is the preposition på used in brist på instead of translating "of" as av?
In Swedish, abstract nouns that describe a lack, need, or demand very often take på. You cannot rely on a direct English translation. You simply have to memorize the fixed combination brist på (lack of), just like you would learn ett krav på (a demand for).
Are both brist på and respekt för examples of fixed noun and preposition pairs?
Yes! Just as brist requires på, the abstract noun respekt requires för when indicating who or what the respect is directed toward. At this level, it is highly recommended to learn these nouns as chunks (brist på, respekt för) rather than as isolated words.
Why is brist in the indefinite form here, given that we are talking about a specific "lack" belonging to the company?
Whenever a noun is preceded by a possessive word or a genitive -s (like företagets), the noun that is owned must take the indefinite form. So it is strictly företagets brist, never företagets bristen, even though the meaning is definite.
Could I say kritiken är om instead of kritiken handlar om to mean "the criticism is about"?
No, är om is a direct translation from English that sounds very unnatural in Swedish. When a discussion, book, movie, or criticism "is about" a topic, you must always use the phrasal verb handlar om.
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