Tyvärr hinner vi sällan ringa våra kunder på eftermiddagen.

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Breakdown of Tyvärr hinner vi sällan ringa våra kunder på eftermiddagen.

• ringa: to call
• på: in
• eftermiddagen: the afternoon

Questions & Answers about Tyvärr hinner vi sällan ringa våra kunder på eftermiddagen.

What does the verb hinna mean here, and how do you use it?

Hinna means “to have time to” or “to manage to (within the available time).” It’s followed by a bare infinitive (no att):

• Vi hinner ringa = We have time to call.
• Vi hinner inte ringa = We don’t have time to call.

Using hinna att is non‑standard in modern Swedish; stick to bare infinitive: hinna ringa, not hinna att ringa.

Why is it “Tyvärr hinner vi …” and not “Tyvärr vi hinner …”?

Swedish main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position. When you start the clause with an adverb like Tyvärr (“unfortunately”), the verb (hinner) comes next, then the subject (vi). Without the initial adverb, you’d say Vi hinner …. Both are correct depending on what you put first.

Where does sällan go in the sentence?

Frequency and sentence adverbs (like sällan, inte) typically go after the finite verb and the subject, but before the non‑finite verb:

• Correct: Tyvärr hinner vi sällan ringa …
• Also correct: Vi hinner sällan ringa …
• Incorrect: Vi sällan hinner ringa …

Can I say “inte ofta” instead of sällan?