Breakdown of De klagar på bindningstiden snarare än på nedladdningen.
de
they
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
klaga
to complain
än
than
snarare
rather
bindningstiden
the lock-in period
nedladdningen
the download
Questions & Answers about De klagar på bindningstiden snarare än på nedladdningen.
Why is the preposition på repeated after snarare än?
Snarare än (rather than) acts as a coordinating conjunction, meaning the structures on both sides should match. Because the first item is a prepositional phrase (på bindningstiden), repeating the preposition for the second item (på nedladdningen) maintains perfect grammatical balance.
Is it strictly required to repeat på, or could I drop the second one?
In casual spoken Swedish, you might hear the second på dropped. However, keeping the syntactic structures parallel by repeating the preposition is considered much better style and is the standard rule for formal or written Swedish when using snarare än.
How is the word bindningstiden formed?
It is a compound noun made of bindning (binding) and tiden (the time), joined by a connecting s. In everyday Swedish, bindningstid specifically refers to the lock-in period or minimum duration of a subscription or contract.
Why do we use på instead of om for 'about' here?
The verb att klaga (to complain) strongly pairs with the preposition på when you complain about something. While English uses 'about', Swedish uses på. You might also occasionally see klaga över, which sounds a bit more like 'lamenting', but klaga om is incorrect.
What is the literal meaning of snarare?
Snarare is the comparative form of the adjective snar, which means 'soon' or 'quick'. So literally, snarare än means 'sooner than'. On its own, snarare is also commonly used to mean 'more accurately' or 'rather' (for example: Han är snarare trött - He is rather tired).
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