Tough construction

Level 5

This structure transforms a sentence like "It is easy to read this book" into "This book is easy to read." It makes the object of the action the main topic of the sentence.

How It Works

The "tough construction" (or tough movement) is a common way to structure sentences in Swedish, especially with adjectives that describe ease, difficulty, or subjective experience.

A useful comparison is with a sentence that starts with a formal subject, like 'det', and expresses the same situation with a different main subject.

Standard Structure:
Det är svårt att förstå den här texten.
(It is difficult to understand this text.)

Tough Construction:
Den här texten är svår att förstå.
(This text is difficult to understand.)

In the second sentence, Den här texten is the main subject and corresponds to the understood object of förstå. The comparison shows the relationship without requiring a literal word-moving procedure.

Key Points:

  • Adjective Agreement: The adjective must agree with the new subject. This is a critical rule. See adjective agreement for more.
    - En bok är lätt att läsa. (An 'en' word)
    - Ett problem är svårt att lösa. (An 'ett' word)
    - Böckerna är lätta att läsa. (Plural)
  • Common Adjectives: This structure is frequently used with adjectives like:
    - lätt (easy)
    - svår (difficult)
    - omöjlig (impossible)
    - rolig (fun)
    - tråkig (boring)
    - intressant (interesting)
    - bekväm (comfortable)
  • Prepositions: If the infinitive verb normally requires a preposition, retain the preposition in the infinitive phrase. It need not be the last word of the whole sentence: Stolen är skön att sitta i på kvällen.
    - Stolen är bekväm att sitta i. (The chair is comfortable to sit in.)
    - Musiken är skön att lyssna på. (The music is nice to listen to.)

This construction is very common in both spoken and written Swedish and offers a different topic choice from the Det är construction; both can be natural.

Examples (5)

  1. Den här boken är lätt att läsa.

    This book is easy to read.

    Word by Word: This here book is easy to read.

    'Boken' is the object of 'läsa' but the subject of 'är lätt'.

  2. Problemet var svårt att lösa.

    The problem was difficult to solve.

    Word by Word: The problem was difficult to solve.

    Note the adjective agreement: 'ett problem' is neuter, so the adjective is 'svårt'.

  3. De nya stolarna är bekväma att sitta i.

    The new chairs are comfortable to sit in.

    Word by Word: The new chairs are comfortable to sit in.

    The preposition i remains in the infinitive phrase with an understood complement referring to the chairs. Bekväma agrees with plural stolarna.

  4. Frågan är omöjlig att svara på.

    The question is impossible to answer.

    Word by Word: The question is impossible to answer on.

    På is retained because the pattern is svara på en fråga; the question is understood as its complement.

  5. Är den här soppan enkel att laga?

    Is this soup easy to make?

    Word by Word: Is this here soup simple to cook?

    The construction works in questions as well.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting adjective agreement with the new subject.

    Det här problemet är svår att lösa.
    Det här problemet är svårt att lösa.

    The adjective must agree with the subject. 'Ett problem' is a neuter noun, so the adjective must be in its t-form, 'svårt'.

  • Incorrectly repeating the object as a pronoun at the end.

    Boken är lätt att läsa den.
    Boken är lätt att läsa.

    Once the object ('boken') has been moved to the subject position, you do not repeat it with a pronoun ('den') at the end. The slot for the object of 'läsa' is now empty.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Tough constructionLevel 5

Learn This First

Tough movement involves moving the object of an infinitive verb to the subject position of the main clause. To learn this, you need to understand how infinitive clauses are formed with 'att', how adjectives agree with their subjects, and how these constructions relate to impersonal 'det' sentences.