"Which purpose does it have?"
Translation:Vilket syfte har den?
February 12, 2015
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This discussion is locked.
Only in one sense: vara föremål för = being the object of. Note that it's in the sense of e.g. being the object of appreciation, rather than being the object of a mission. It's not exactly common, but you are indeed right about that. :)
The older förmål, however, meant "pre-meal meal", and förmåla could mean either "paint" or "paint a future event even though it hasn't happened yet", so they appear to be completely unrelated to föremål.
When purpose means "point of", that can translate to mening. But when it's about intention of quality in regards to something, it cannot. For instance:
- What's the point of this soap opera? = Vad är det för mening med den här såpoperan?
- What's the purpose of this chair? = Vad är det för syfte med den här stolen?
Suvori
471
Along these same lines, would you say that the main answer "Vilket syfte har den" is more idiomatic than "Vad/vilket har det för syfte"?