Darren844127 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 19, 2022 1:18 pm
I understand that "vad är det för någonting?" means "what is that" but I'd like to understand the purpose/meaning of "för någonting"... it seems there is no real need to have it in the sentence in order for the sentence to still make sense.. or am I wrong about that?
I am also of the understanding that there is no accurate English equivalent for "för någonting" but that a common interpretation is "for something/anything" so we get the sentence "what is that for something" which of course is a confusing sentence..
Any light anyone could shed on this mysterious sentence structure would be much appreciated.
Hej Darren, for sure it's not a grammatical obligation, rather a style of asking something about a strange thing, unidentified, ...
The combination "vad ...för" goes in the direction of "what kind of ..."
So rather than a straight "What is that?" you can be more explicit about a thing "vad är det för någonting"
or you know it may be a bird, but which one: Vad är det för en fågel? - What kind of bird is it?
In other languages that I speak it's all the same, not mandatory, but a useful addition.
- FR: "C'est quoi"? vs "C'est quoi cette espèce d'oiseau"
- NL: "Wat is dat " vs "Wat is dat voor een ding" or "wat is dat voor een vogel"
- DE: "Was ist dass? vs "Was ist das für ein Vogel ?"