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Questions & Answers about Vi hoppas att du kommer snart.
What does the word att do here? Can I leave it out?
att is the subordinator “that,” introducing the clause att du kommer snart (“that you’ll come soon”). In everyday speech it’s often dropped: Vi hoppas du kommer snart. In careful writing it’s safer to keep att, especially if the clause is long or could be ambiguous.
Why is kommer in the present if we mean the future?
Swedish often uses the present tense to talk about the future when there’s a time expression like snart. So du kommer snart naturally means “you will come soon.” You can also say:
- Vi hoppas att du ska komma snart (focus on your intention/plan).
- Vi hoppas att du kommer att komma snart (a neutral “will” form, but clunky here because of the double “komma”). The original sentence is the most natural.
Why isn’t it att kommer du snart? Doesn’t Swedish have V2 word order?
V2 (verb in second position) applies to main clauses, not to subordinate clauses. After att, the subject comes before the verb: att du kommer snart, not att kommer du snart. In a main-clause question you would invert: Kommer du snart?
Where does snart go? Is att du snart kommer also correct?
Both att du kommer snart and att du snart kommer are acceptable. Putting snart before the verb can give a slight focus to “soon.” Avoid att snart du kommer (wrong) or att kommer du snart (wrong). In a main clause you can front snart for emphasis: Snart kommer du.
Why does hoppas end with -s? Is it a passive?
No. hoppas is an s-verb (a “deponent” verb), not a passive. Its forms are:
- Present: hoppas (e.g., vi hoppas)
- Past: hoppades
- Supine: hoppats Don’t confuse hoppas (“hope”) with hoppar (“jumps,” from hoppa).
Should it be hoppas att or hoppas på att?
Use hoppas att when a clause follows: Vi hoppas att du kommer snart. Use hoppas på before a noun: Vi hoppas på sol. You can also say hoppas på att du kommer snart; it’s idiomatic and can feel like “hope for the event to happen,” but hoppas att is the default and simplest here.
Do I need a comma before att?
No. Modern Swedish doesn’t use a comma before att in sentences like this: Vi hoppas att du kommer snart. A comma might appear if there’s a parenthetical element, but not in the basic structure.
Is du singular or plural? What if I’m talking to several people?
du is singular (informal). For several people, use ni: Vi hoppas att ni kommer snart. The formal singular Ni is rare today; default to du when addressing one person.
Can I use ska instead: Vi hoppas att du ska komma snart?
Yes, it’s correct. ska highlights the addressee’s intention/plan (“we hope you are going to/plan to come soon”). If you mean ability, Vi hoppas att du kan komma snart is common. For a neutral hope about the future, the original … att du kommer snart is most natural.
What about kommer att: Vi hoppas att du kommer att komma snart?
Grammatically fine but stylistically heavy because of kommer … komma. Prefer the simple … att du kommer snart. The kommer att + infinitive future is great with other verbs, e.g., Vi hoppas att du kommer att trivas (“will enjoy yourself”).
Where would I put inte (not) in this structure?
In subordinate clauses, inte goes before the finite verb: Vi hoppas att du inte kommer för sent (“we hope you won’t be late”). In a main clause it usually comes after the verb: Du kommer inte för sent.
Can I drop vi and just say Hoppas du kommer snart?
Yes. Hoppas du kommer snart! is a common elliptical way to mean “(We/I) hope you come soon!” In writing, punctuation helps avoid reading it as a question; as a question, you’d normally include att: Hoppas du att du kommer snart? (which is a different meaning and uncommon).
Is att here the same word as the att that means to (att komma)?
Same spelling, different function. Here att is a subordinator meaning “that.” The other att is the infinitive marker “to,” as in att komma (“to come”).
Does snart mean the same as strax? What’s the nuance?
Both mean “soon,” but strax is “very soon / in a moment.”
- Jag kommer strax ≈ “I’ll be right there.”
- Jag kommer snart ≈ “I’ll come soon (before too long).”
If I want to say We hope to see you soon, is this the best way?
To express “see you,” Swedes often say:
- Vi hoppas att vi ses snart.
- Elliptical: Hoppas vi ses snart! If you’re inviting someone to come to you, you can say Vi hoppas att du kan komma snart or more directly Kom gärna snart!