Negation · Swedish grammar A1

Contents · A1

The negative word inte and the sentence adverbs have one place in a Swedish main clause: directly after the finite verb, or after the subject when the subject follows the verb.

Saying no: inte after the finite verb#

Formation

In a main clause inte (not) is placed directly after the finite verb: Lisa talar inte tyska. No auxiliary is added. When the subject follows the verb, in a question or after inversion (set out in The verb-second rule: Anna bor i Lund, Här bor vi), inte comes after the subject: Talar du inte tyska? I kväll arbetar Lisa inte. With two verbs, inte comes after the first: Jag kan inte komma.

First element	Finite verb	Subject	inte	Rest
Jag	talar	–	inte	tyska.
–	Talar	du	inte	tyska?
I dag	arbetar	jag	inte.
Lisa	kan	–	inte	komma.

Use

Inte negates the whole sentence. An unstressed object pronoun comes before inte, as An object pronoun before inte: Jag känner honom inte sets out. A noun is negated with ingen, inget, inga or with inte någon, as in Some and none: någon, något, några, ingen, inget, inga.

Erik dricker inte kaffe.Erik doesn’t drink coffee.
Vi är inte hemma.We’re not at home.
Kommer du inte?Aren’t you coming?
I kväll äter Karin inte här.Karin isn’t eating here tonight.
Jag förstår inte.I don’t understand.

Difference from English

English forms the negative with “do not” before the verb: “Lisa does not speak German”. Swedish has no such auxiliary: the verb itself comes first and inte after it, Lisa talar inte tyska, as English does only with “be” and the auxiliaries (“I am not”, “I cannot”).

Common mistakes

~~Lisa inte talar tyska.~~ → Lisa talar inte tyska.In a main clause inte comes after the finite verb.
~~I dag jag arbetar inte.~~ → I dag arbetar jag inte.After a time word at the front, the verb comes second and inte after the subject.
~~Du kommer inte?~~ → Kommer du inte?A yes-or-no question begins with the verb, and inte comes after the subject.

Remember

Main clause: verb, then inte: Jag bor inte här; verb first: verb, subject, inte: Bor du inte här?

Practise

“Negation: inte and the sentence adverbs alltid, aldrig, också”, Saying what is not so: jag bor inte, du talar inte “Negation: inte and the sentence adverbs alltid, aldrig, också”, Saying no in questions and after a first word: Kommer du inte? I dag arbetar jag inte

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Sentence adverbs: alltid, ofta, aldrig, också, inte heller#

Formation

Sentence adverbs are the adverbs that are placed where inte is placed: after the finite verb in a main clause, after the subject when it follows the verb. They include alltid (always), ofta (often), ibland (sometimes), sällan (seldom), aldrig (never), också (too, also) and inte heller (not either).

First element	Finite verb	Subject	Sentence adverb	Rest
Jag	dricker	–	alltid	te.
På lördagar	spelar	vi	ofta	tennis.
–	Läser	du	ibland	tidningen?
Johan	är	–	också	trött.
Hon	äter	–	inte heller	kött.

Use

Aldrig already contains the negation and is not combined with inte. Ibland, ofta and också may also be placed at the end of the clause: Jag spelar tennis ibland, Per bor här också. Också is used in a positive sentence; after a negation “too” is inte heller, the two words together: Jag röker inte, och Lisa röker inte heller.

Vi äter ofta fisk.We often eat fish.
Lisa kommer aldrig sent.Lisa never comes late.
Dricker du alltid te på morgonen?Do you always drink tea in the morning?
Jag talar också franska.I also speak French.
Erik tycker inte om fisk, och jag tycker inte heller om fisk.Erik doesn’t like fish, and I don’t like fish either.

Difference from English

In English, adverbs of frequency come before the verb: “We always drink coffee”. In Swedish they come after the finite verb: Vi dricker alltid kaffe. English “too” and “either” usually close the sentence; Swedish också and inte heller are usually placed after the verb.

Common mistakes

~~Vi alltid dricker kaffe.~~ → Vi dricker alltid kaffe.A sentence adverb comes after the finite verb.
~~Jag läser inte aldrig.~~ → Jag läser aldrig.Aldrig is not combined with inte.
~~Jag röker inte också.~~ → Jag röker inte heller.After a negation, “too” is inte heller.

In short

Point	Form	Example
inte in a statement	finite verb + inte	Jag bor inte här.
inte after inversion	verb + subject + inte	Bor du inte här?
sentence adverbs	the place of inte	Vi äter ofta fisk.
aldrig	never with inte	Hon röker aldrig.
“too”, “not either”	också; inte heller	Jag röker inte heller.

Practise

“Negation: inte and the sentence adverbs alltid, aldrig, också”, Saying how often: alltid, ofta, ibland, sällan, aldrig “Negation: inte and the sentence adverbs alltid, aldrig, också”, Saying too and not either: också, inte heller

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