Det är inte till er.

Sentence Discussions Swedish
#1
English Translation

It’s not for you.

Why is it till instead of för?

#2

Here, det could refer to a letter; another way to say it is “Det är inte adresserat till er”.

If the intended meaning is “It’s not intended for you”, I would translate it as “Det är ingenting för er”. “Det är inte för er” sounds a bit odd in isolation, but I could imagine “Det är inte för er jag gör det”.

#3

I learned that when (not) giving something to somebody, till is usually the best word. It’s a rule that I simply had to learn and have to check everytime I can’t decide between för, till and åt.

åt is used when you do something for someone with the intention that she/he no longer has to do it.

för is used in other cases.

Examples:

  • “Hon köpte presenter till alla sina barn.” = She bought each of her children a present.
  • “Hon köpte (tillräckligt) öl för alla sina gäster.” = She bought enough beer so that every one of her guests could drink some and not have to miss out.
  • “Hon köpte öl åt sin pappa.” = She bought beer for her dad who was too busy to buy it himself.