Lately, several students have asked me about the little word ”så.” Good news – it’s really not that complicated.
Så
As a conjunction, “så” can be exchanged for “and therefore.” It expresses a possible conclusion. Here are a couple of examples:
Arne har glömt matlådan hemma, så han ska äta lunch på restaurang.
(Arne has forgotten his lunch box at home, so he will have lunch at a restaurant.)
Anna har prov i engelska i morgon, så hon måste studera ikväll.
(Anna has an English test tomorrow, so she has to study tonight.)
Så (att), så … att
With the subjunction (bisatsinledare) “så” or “så … att”, the subordinate clause (bisats) will express a result or consequence. Examples:
Skynda dig så (att) du inte kommer för sent!
(Hurry up, or you will be late.)
In the example above you can leave out “att.” In the example below where there is an extra word (“hungrig”) between “så” and “att,” we have to keep “att”:
Arne var så hungrig att magen kurrade.
(Arne was so hungry that his stomach was rumbling.)
Have fun learning Swedish!
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