Breakdown of Hon orkar oftast springa, men idag går hon långsamt.
gå
to walk, to go on foot
Gå is to move on your own legs — to walk. It is not the all-purpose English to go. Jag går till skolan means you walk the whole way there.
When a vehicle takes you, Swedish switches verb: åka if you are being carried (Jag åker buss till jobbet) and köra if you are the one driving (Jag kör bilen själv). Both come later in this course.
Gå also means to leave (Kom ihåg att låsa dörren när du går), and with timetables, machines and abstract things it means to run or to turn out: Bussen går om två minuter, Tiden går fort, Om allt går bra.
idag
today
Questions & Answers about Hon orkar oftast springa, men idag går hon långsamt.
What does orkar mean exactly? Is it just “can”?
No. orka means “to have the energy/strength to,” “to manage (physically/mentally).” It’s not general ability or permission.
- Hon kan springa 10 km = She is able to (knows how/is capable).
- Hon orkar springa 10 km = She has enough stamina/energy to manage it.
- Jag orkar inte laga mat = I don’t have the energy to cook / I can’t be bothered.
Why is there no att before springa?
With verbs like orka, bruka, kunna, vilja, måste, våga, slippa, the following verb is a bare infinitive (no att): Hon orkar springa. You’ll hear orka att in some varieties (e.g., Finland Swedish), but standard Swedish prefers no att here. Note that when orka itself is in the infinitive, you do use att: att orka.
Where does oftast go? Could I say Hon orkar springa oftast?
Put the frequency adverb oftast after the finite verb and before the infinitive: Hon orkar oftast springa. Saying Hon orkar springa oftast is possible but unusual and sounds tacked-on. A simpler alternative is Hon springer oftast.
What’s the difference between ofta and oftast?