A subordinate idea in Swedish does not always need its own finite verb. Often the cleaner option is a non-finite construction — a clause built around an infinitive instead of a tensed verb. The workhorse is the infinitive marker att ("to"), which fronts almost every infinitive (att läsa = "to read"), and a small family of prepositional connectors — för att, genom att, utan att, istället för att — that take an infinitive to express purpose, means, and accompaniment. The single biggest payoff on this page is learning when för att means "in order to" and when it means "because": one connector, two meanings, split entirely by whether the verb that follows is finite or not.
att + infinitive: the basic non-finite clause
Swedish marks the bare infinitive with att, the direct counterpart of English "to." This att-plus-infinitive block can fill the same slots an ordinary noun phrase fills — it can be the subject of a sentence or the object of a verb.
As an object, it follows verbs like försöka ("try"), glömma ("forget"), börja ("begin"), hoppas ("hope"), bestämma sig ("decide"):
Jag glömde att stänga dörren.
I forgot to close the door. att + infinitive (stänga) as the object of glömde.
Hon försöker att läsa en bok om dagen.
She tries to read a book a day. försöka takes att + infinitive — though att is often dropped here in speech (see the tip below).
As a subject, the att-clause names an activity. Swedish strongly prefers to push that heavy subject to the end and hold its place with det (extraposition), but the bare fronted form is grammatical too:
Det är svårt att lära sig svenska.
It's hard to learn Swedish. The att-clause is the logical subject, anticipated by 'det' at the front.
Att resa ensam kan vara både skönt och skrämmande.
Travelling alone can be both lovely and frightening. Here the att-clause sits up front as the subject — heavier, more formal than the 'det är...' version.
för att + infinitive: purpose ("in order to")
To express purpose — the goal you act for — Swedish uses för att plus an infinitive. English often collapses this to a plain "to" (I'm saving to buy a car), but the full English equivalent is "in order to," and that is exactly the meaning för att carries:
Jag sparar för att köpa en bil.
I'm saving (in order) to buy a car. för att + infinitive = the purpose of the saving.
Hon ringde för att boka tid.
She called to book an appointment. The call's purpose: att boka tid.
Vi gick tidigt för att hinna med tåget.
We left early in order to catch the train. Purpose of leaving early.
The understood subject of the infinitive is the same as the subject of the main clause — I save, I buy; she called, she books. This shared-subject requirement is the hinge of the whole construction, and it is where the "because" reading comes in.
The key split: för att + infinitive vs. för att + finite verb
Here is the insight that separates intermediate from advanced learners. För att is a single connector with two different meanings, and the verb form alone tells you which:
- för att + infinitive → "in order to" (purpose; subject shared with the main clause)
- för att + finite verb → "because" (cause; can have a different subject)
| Form after för att | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| infinitive (köpa) | in order to (purpose) | Jag sparar för att köpa en bil. |
| finite verb (var) | because (cause) | Jag stannade hemma för att jag var trött. |
Jag stannade hemma för att jag var trött.
I stayed home because I was tired. för att + finite verb (var) = 'because' — note the separate subject 'jag … jag'.
Han pluggar hårt för att klara provet.
He studies hard in order to pass the exam. Infinitive (klara) → purpose, shared subject 'han'.
Han pluggar hårt för att provet är svårt.
He studies hard because the exam is hard. Finite verb (är), new subject 'provet' → cause.
Why does the same connector do both jobs? Because för originally means "for," and "for" stretches naturally over both senses — you act for a goal (purpose) and something happens for a reason (cause). Swedish lets the verb form do the disambiguating that English does with two separate words ("to" vs. "because"). In careful writing many Swedes prefer för att for purpose and eftersom or därför att for cause, precisely to avoid the ambiguity — but för att + finite verb for "because" is completely standard, especially in speech.
genom att, utan att, istället för att
The same preposition-plus-att pattern produces a small set of high-value connectors, all taking an infinitive with a shared, understood subject:
genom att + infinitive — "by (means of) …ing." This is how Swedish expresses means or method:
Man lär sig genom att öva.
You learn by practising. genom att = 'by means of', the method of learning.
Hon betalade genom att swisha.
She paid by Swishing (using the Swish app). The means of paying.
utan att + infinitive — "without …ing." It expresses an accompanying circumstance that did not happen:
Han gick förbi utan att säga hej.
He walked past without saying hi. utan att + infinitive = the thing left undone.
Vi löste problemet utan att be om hjälp.
We solved the problem without asking for help.
istället för att + infinitive — "instead of …ing":
Ta trappan istället för att åka hiss.
Take the stairs instead of taking the lift. istället för att = the rejected alternative.
All three share the subject of the main clause: you learn / you practise; he walked past / he didn't say hi. This shared-subject control is exactly what makes the infinitive possible — there is no room for a separate subject inside a non-finite clause, so the missing subject is always understood to be the main-clause one.
When you can't use the infinitive: different subjects
Because the infinitive has no subject of its own, the moment the two actions have different subjects, you must switch to a finite clause. For purpose with a different subject, Swedish uses för att + finite verb in the present/past with ska/skulle, or recasts the sentence:
Jag lämnade nyckeln så att du kan komma in.
I left the key so that you can get in. Different subjects (jag / du) → finite clause with 'så att', not an infinitive.
Hon talade långsamt för att alla skulle förstå.
She spoke slowly so that everyone would understand. Different subject (alla) → för att + finite 'skulle förstå'.
Notice that this last sentence uses för att with a finite verb but still means purpose ("so that"), not "because" — context and the modal skulle carry the purpose sense. This is the one place the neat infinitive/finite split blurs, and it is worth flagging honestly: för att + skulle + verb is a purpose clause, while för att + plain past/present is usually causal. When in doubt, så att is the unambiguous "so that" connector for different subjects.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag stannade hemma för att vara trött.
Incorrect — this reads as 'I stayed home in order to be tired'. For 'because', you need a finite verb.
✅ Jag stannade hemma för att jag var trött.
I stayed home because I was tired.
❌ Jag sparar för att jag köper en bil.
Incorrect — a finite verb after för att gives the 'because' reading: 'I save because I'm buying a car'.
✅ Jag sparar för att köpa en bil.
I'm saving in order to buy a car — purpose needs the infinitive.
❌ Hon talade långsamt för att alla förstå.
Incorrect — different subject (alla), so the verb must be finite: skulle förstå (or use så att).
✅ Hon talade långsamt så att alla skulle förstå.
She spoke slowly so that everyone would understand.
❌ Jag vill att läsa boken.
Incorrect — true modals (vilja, kunna, måste) take a bare infinitive with NO att.
✅ Jag vill läsa boken.
I want to read the book.
❌ Man lär sig genom öva.
Incorrect — genom needs its att before the infinitive: genom att öva.
✅ Man lär sig genom att öva.
You learn by practising.
Key Takeaways
- att + infinitive is the basic non-finite clause; it can be subject (Det är svårt att lära sig svenska) or object (Jag glömde att stänga dörren).
- för att + infinitive = "in order to" (purpose, shared subject). för att + finite verb = "because" (cause). The verb form alone flips the meaning.
- genom att = "by …ing", utan att = "without …ing", istället för att = "instead of …ing" — all take an infinitive with a shared subject.
- A non-finite clause has no subject of its own, so the understood subject is always the main clause's. The moment subjects differ, switch to a finite clause (så att for "so that").
- For unambiguous "because" in formal writing, prefer eftersom; keep för att for purpose.
Now practice Swedish
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Swedish→Related Topics
- The Infinitive and attA1 — The dictionary form of the verb — almost always ending in -a (tala, läsa, springa), with a handful of monosyllabic verbs ending in another vowel (gå, se, bo). The infinitive marker att means 'to', but it is pronounced 'å', identical to the conjunction och — which is exactly why everyone, natives included, mixes the two up in writing.
- Subordinating Conjunctions (att, om, när, eftersom)B1 — The words that open a subordinate clause and force it into BIFF order: att (that), om (if/whether), när (when), då (when/since), eftersom and därför att (because), fast/fastän (although), medan (while), innan (before), sedan (after/since), så att (so that). All of them push the sentence adverb — especially 'inte' — to BEFORE the finite verb. Two notorious pairs to get right: när vs då, and the subordinator därför att (because, BIFF) vs the adverb därför (therefore, main-clause inversion).
- Complex Grammar: OverviewB1 — A map of the advanced sentence-building constructions — relative clauses, conditionals, reported speech, comparison structures, information-packaging devices (clefts, extraposition) and non-finite constructions — and the single liberating idea behind all of them: almost none introduce a new word-order rule. They are recombinations of the V2 and BIFF machinery you already know, plus fronting and embedding. The difficulty is combinatorial, not novel.
- att-ClausesB1 — att is the complementizer 'that' — the word that turns a clause into the object or subject of a verb (Jag vet att han kommer). Like English 'that', it can be dropped after common verbs of saying and thinking (Jag tror (att) han sover), but the subordinate BIFF order STAYS even when att disappears. Inside an att-clause 'inte' sits before the verb. Keep att (complementizer) firmly distinct from och (and) and from infinitive-marker att.