Breakdown of Vi äter oss mätta på buffén.
vi
we
äta
to eat
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
oss
us
Questions & Answers about Vi äter oss mätta på buffén.
Why do we say oss mätta instead of just saying we eat until we are full?
This is a resultative reflexive construction. Instead of a longer phrase like tills vi är mätta (until we are full), Swedish concisely uses the verb, a reflexive pronoun (oss), and a result adjective (mätta). It literally translates to eating ourselves full.
Why does mätt have an -a at the end here?
In these reflexive constructions, the adjective describes the subject's resulting state. Since the subject Vi (and the reflexive pronoun oss) is plural, the adjective takes the plural form mätta rather than the singular mätt.
Why use the preposition på before buffén?
When talking about eating yourself full, Swedish uses på to indicate what food is making you full. While English says "at the buffet," the Swedish phrasing feels more like filling up "on" the buffet.
Could I use the word fulla instead of mätta to mean "full"?
No, and that's a classic trap! In Swedish, mätt specifically means full from eating (satiated). If you said Vi äter oss fulla, it would sound like you are getting drunk by eating!