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Say it in Swedish

Till, Mot, Åt or För?

The basic difference

, , , and can all describe relationships involving a person, place, or goal, but they are not interchangeable.

Till

commonly points to a destination or recipient.

Jag reser till Sverige.I am traveling to Sweden.

Jag skickade brev till Skatteverket.I sent letters to the Swedish Tax Agency.

Mot

points towards something without necessarily saying that the destination is reached.

Katten gick mot dörren.The cat walked towards the door.

Mördaren sprang mot tunnelbanan.The murderer ran towards the subway.

Åt

appears in some expressions of direction.

Sväng åt höger.Turn right.

It can also indicate that an action is done on someone else's behalf.

Jag lagade middag åt henne.I cooked dinner for her.

För

has several uses, including expressing who benefits from, is affected by, or is the reason for something.

Jag öppnade dörren för henne.I opened the door for her.

Det är bra för dig.It is good for you.

Kören sjunger för kungen.The choir is singing for the king.

The four prepositions overlap in some contexts, but they express different relationships. Furthermore, some expressions are just more established with one or the other and have to be learned as a whole.