Vi låter barnen läsa en bok.

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Breakdown of Vi låter barnen läsa en bok.

• en: a
• boken: the book
• vi: we

Questions & Answers about Vi låter barnen läsa en bok.

What does låter mean here, and is it the same låter as in Det låter bra?

Here låter (from låta) means “to let/allow.” It’s the same verb as in Det låter bra (“That sounds good”), but there it means “to sound.” Clue: when you see låta + someone + infinitive, it means “let/allow.” When you see låta without an object, often with som or an adjective/adverb (e.g., Det låter bra), it means “sound.”

Why is there no att before läsa?

Because låta takes a bare infinitive in Swedish: låta någon göra något (“let someone do something”). No att. This also happens with modal-like verbs (kan, vill, måste, ska, får) and some perception verbs (se, höra, känna).

Why is it läsa and not läser?

Läsa is the infinitive, required after låter in this causative construction. The finite verb here is låter; the action being allowed is expressed in the infinitive: läsa.

What are the grammatical roles of the words?