Breakdown of Vi får nöja oss med det vi har.
vi
we
ha
to have
få
to be allowed to, may
det
what, that which
nöja sig med
to be satisfied with, to make do with
Questions & Answers about Vi får nöja oss med det vi har.
Why does får mean have to here instead of are allowed to?
The verb få often means to get or to be allowed to, but when used with an infinitive, it frequently expresses an unavoidable obligation, translating to have to or must. The exact meaning relies on context. Here, vi får implies we will just have to make do rather than we have permission to make do.
How does the expression nöja oss med work?
It comes from the reflexive verb att nöja sig, meaning to content oneself or to settle. Because the subject of the sentence is vi, the reflexive pronoun must match it, becoming oss. Combined with the preposition med, the phrase nöja sig med translates naturally to make do with or settle for.
Why does the sentence use det vi har instead of vad vi har for what we have?
English speakers often translate what directly to vad. However, when what means that which or the thing that in a statement, Swedish prefers det or det som. Using vad here is a very common learner mistake that makes it sound like you are embedding a question into the statement rather than pointing to a specific thing.
Is it possible to include the relative pronoun som and say det som vi har?
Yes, saying det som vi har is grammatically correct and means the exact same thing. However, Swedish speakers frequently drop som when it functions as the object of the following clause. Dropping it, as done in this sentence, makes the speech flow faster and sound much more natural.
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