"Can you carry my bag for me?"

Translation: Kan du bära min väska åt mig?

[limara.deeb]

varför använde de 'åt'?? när använder man det?

[Lundgren8]

The preposition ”åt” is often used where English uses ”for” to denote that someone is doing someone a favour or helping someone. As most prepositions ”åt” can also mean other things in other contexts.

[Vevlira]

Can you give some other examples where åt is used (especially compared to "för", which I usually think of when I want to say something like "for"). That would be supernice!

[Lundgren8]

• Jag betalade åt honom. (I paid for him.)
• Sven Svensson vann ett guld åt laget. (S.S. won a gold medal for his team.)
• Han var sekreterare åt statsministern. (He was a secretary for the prime minister.)

[Vevlira]

Tusen tack!
But what about other uses, as you mentioned? Wiktionary mentions "åt" as "towards" (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%C3%A5t#Swedish). Is there anything else?

[Lundgren8]

Yes, as many prepositions it has several possible meanings. One is toward(s) as you mentioned. I’d say these are the main ones, then there are smaller nuanced usages. And then it is used as a verb particle in a lot of verbs which is better just learnt with the verb, like göra något åt något (do something about something).

[Vevlira]

Thanks for the explanation, Lundgren! (sorry for the late answer, didn't have access to duolingo fr the last week or so!)

[limara.deeb]

thank you

[Gerda82]

Aargh, those prepositions are so frustrating...

[Segwyne]

In which unit did we learn the preposition "åt"? I don't remember learning it here on DL. I learned it when I found Baa Baa Vita Lamm and was horrified as the clothes ate the family like some sort of laundry monster.

[southocean]

I remember vaguely having learnt about "åt", but it was in a sentence's discussion and not in the lessons. Regardless, it still takes time for me to understand exactly what "åt" means in contexts like you described.

[Steph.Ro]

It was introduced way back in the prepositions section, shortly before checkpoint 2.

[Jean564934]

Thanks for the helpful explanation. Would 'för' sound wrong in the sentence, even if 'åt' is better?

[_Clint_]

I would like to know that to. I really do not know how to know when to use för vs åt. It seems so random!