Svenska → English
The infinitive and the auxiliaries: kan, vill, måste, tycker om, particle verbs
The infinitive with att (att tala, att läsa, att bo), kan, vill and ska followed by a bare infinitive, måste, får, behöver and brukar, inte after the auxiliary (Jag kan inte komma, Kan du komma?), tycker om and gillar, and the stressed particle in kommer ihåg, går ut, står upp and stänger av.
The infinitive is the form of the verb given in a dictionary: tala, läsa, bo, simma. Most infinitives end in -a; a few short verbs end in another vowel (bo, gå, se). The infinitive marker att corresponds to English to: att tala, att läsa.
- Att röka är inte bra. — Smoking is not good.
- Det är bra att sova. — It is good to sleep.
The present tense is made from the infinitive, and it is the same for every person:
| Group | Infinitive | Present |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | tala, cykla | talar, cyklar (-r is added) |
| 2 | läsa, köpa, stänga | läser, köper, stänger (-a is dropped, -er is added) |
| 3 | bo | bor |
| 4 (strong) | dricka, äta, sova | dricker, äter, sover |
| 4 (strong) | gå, ta, se | går, tar, ser (only -r is added) |
After att the verb is always in the infinitive: Att bo här är bra, never Att bor. The English speaker's trap: the -ing form (Reading is good) is Att läsa är bra, and is eating has no separate form: Tom äter means both Tom eats and Tom is eating.
Show the answer Anna ___ (läsa) en bok nu. läserShow the answer
Show the answer Att ___ (simma) är bra. simmaShow the answer
Kan (can), vill (want to) and ska are auxiliary verbs, the present of kunna, vilja and skola. The second verb follows in the infinitive with no att.
- Tom kan laga mat. — Tom can cook.
- Vi vill resa. — We want to travel.
- Ska vi gå? — Shall we go?
Vill ha means want to have, so want coffee is vill ha kaffe. The polite request Jag skulle vilja ha … (I would like) is a set formula with the infinitive vilja: Jag skulle vilja ha en kopp te.
The English speaker's trap: to between the two verbs has no counterpart (vill äta, not vill att äta), and the second verb stays in the infinitive (kan spela, not kan spelar). Ska vi …? suggests an activity; ska for a plan is a separate point.
Show the answer Maria talar svenska och engelska. Hon ___ tala två språk. kanShow the answer
Show the answer “I want coffee.” Jag ___ ha kaffe. villShow the answer
Four more verbs are followed by the infinitive without att:
- måste (have to) has one form for every person: Vi måste gå.
- får (may, be allowed to) is the present of få: Ali får gå nu.
- behöver (need to) is the present of behöva: Du behöver sova.
- brukar (usually) is the present of bruka: Elin brukar äta frukost.
Not being allowed is får inte (Ni får inte äta här), and not being obliged is behöver inte (Du behöver inte betala). Must not is never måste inte, which means do not have to. In a question the auxiliary comes first: Måste vi gå?
The English speaker's trap: usually is an adverb in English, but Swedish most often expresses it with brukar and the infinitive; may I is Får jag …?; and the second verb stays in the infinitive (måste gå, not måste går).
Show the answer Du har ingen biljett, så du ___ betala. måstealso: får, behöverShow the answer
Show the answer “May I sit here?” ___ jag sitta här? Fåralso: KanShow the answer
With two verbs, inte stands after the first verb and before the infinitive: Jag kan inte komma. (I cannot come.) In a question, the auxiliary comes first and the subject next: Kan du komma? (Can you come?). After a question word the auxiliary is second: Vad vill du göra?, Var kan vi sitta?
- Hon vill inte bo här. — She does not want to live here.
- Där kan vi inte sitta. — We cannot sit there.
There is no do: Jag vill inte äta is I do not want to eat. The English speaker's trap: inte comes after kan or vill, never before it (not Jag inte kan komma), and the second verb remains in the infinitive (kan inte spela).
Show the answer – Vill du dansa? – Nej, jag kan ___ dansa. inteShow the answer
Show the answer inte / jag / kan / simma Jag kan inte simma.also: Kan jag inte simma?Show the answer
To like is tycka om (present tycker om) or gilla (present gillar). Both take a noun or att and an infinitive:
- Jag tycker om soppa. — I like soup.
- Hon gillar att läsa. — She likes reading.
- Vi tycker om att äta fisk. — We like to eat fish.
In tycker om the word om is a particle, and it is stressed: tycker OM. A pronoun object follows it: Hon tycker om honom. Tycker without om means think, which is another point.
The English speaker's trap: English like swimming has an -ing form, but Swedish uses att and the infinitive: tycker om att simma, gillar att simma.
Show the answer Anna ___ (tycka) om musik. tyckerShow the answer
Show the answer Erik tycker ___ att simma. omShow the answer
A particle verb is a verb with a small word that completes its meaning. The particle carries the stress: kommer IHÅG, går UT, står UPP, stänger AV, tycker OM. A different particle gives a different meaning: gå ut is go out, gå upp get up, stå upp stand up, and stänga av switch off, while stänga alone is close.
The particle comes after the verb, and inte comes before the particle: Hon står inte upp. An object is placed after the particle: Erik stänger av telefonen. After an auxiliary the verb is in the infinitive, followed by its particle: Vi vill gå ut.
- Kan du stänga av kameran? — Can you switch off the camera?
The English speaker's trap: remember is one word in English, but komma ihåg is two, with inte between them (Jag kommer inte ihåg). The particle is never dropped: Vi går ut, not Vi går.
Show the answer Per ___ (gå) ut med katten. gårShow the answer
Show the answer “I remember Anna.” Jag ___ ihåg Anna. kommerShow the answer
The mixed practice combines the infinitive after att (att cykla, att spela), the auxiliaries kan, vill, måste, får, behöver and brukar, inte with two verbs and in questions, tycker om and gillar, and the particle verbs (kommer ihåg, går ut).
Show the answer sova · presens soverShow the answer
Show the answer Att ___ (cykla) i Lund är bra. cyklaShow the answer
Create an account to see the rest Already have an account? Sign in.
This catalogue is protected by the EU database right (Directive 96/9/EC): extracting or reusing a substantial part of it is not permitted. Legal notice