Breakdown of Många är oroliga för att maten sägs vara förgiftad.
vara
to be
maten
the food
många
many
att
that
orolig för
worried about
sägas
to be said
förgiftad
poisoned
Questions & Answers about Många är oroliga för att maten sägs vara förgiftad.
Why isn't there an att before vara in the phrase sägs vara?
Passive verbs of reporting, such as sägs (is said), anses (is considered), or påstås (is claimed), are followed directly by a bare infinitive without the infinitive marker att. This pattern is the Swedish equivalent of the English 'is said to be' and is widely used to report rumors or general beliefs.
Why do we need the preposition för before att in oroliga för att?
In English, it is normal to drop the preposition before a 'that'-clause (you say 'worried about the food', but 'worried that the food...'). Swedish is stricter and keeps the preposition. Because you are 'worried about' something (orolig för), the för must remain even when the object of your worry is an entire att-clause.
Why is förgiftad spelled with an -ad ending?
Förgiftad (poisoned) is a past participle functioning as an adjective, and it must agree with the noun it describes. Since it describes maten (the food), which is a singular en-word, it takes the -ad ending. If the subject were an ett-word like vattnet (the water), it would be förgiftat, and if plural, förgiftade.
Can maten sägs vara förgiftad be rephrased using an active verb?
Yes! Sägs is the passive form of säger. You can express the exact same idea using the general pronoun man (one/people) by saying ...för att man säger att maten är förgiftad (because people say that the food is poisoned). The passive version with sägs vara is very common but sounds slightly more formal or journalistic.
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