Han säger att affären öppnar senare.

He says that the store opens later.

Breakdown of Han säger att affären öppnar senare.

• han: he
• att: that
• senare: later
• öppna: to open
• affären: the store
• säga: to say

Questions & Answers about Han säger att affären öppnar senare.

What does the word att do here?

• Here att is a complementizer meaning that, introducing the reported clause: att affären öppnar senare.
• It’s not the infinitive marker (also spelled att) that means to as in att öppna = to open.

Can I omit att after säger?

• In informal speech, yes: Han säger affären öppnar senare is common.
• In standard writing, keep att: Han säger att affären öppnar senare.

What’s the word order after att? Isn’t Swedish verb-second (V2)?

• V2 applies to main clauses. Subordinate clauses (after att) do not use V2.
• Pattern in an att-clause: Subject + (sentence adverb) + Verb + the rest.
• Example: Han säger att affären öppnar senare.
• With a sentence adverb: Han säger att affären inte öppnar senare.

Where does inte go if I want to negate it?

• Main clause: Affären öppnar inte senare. (verb before inte)
• Subordinate clause: Han säger att affären inte öppnar senare. (inte before the verb)

Why is it affären and not en affär or den affären?

• Swedish marks definiteness with a suffix:
  • en affär = a store
  • affären = the store
• With an adjective, you use the double definiteness pattern: den stora affären (that’s when you see den).

Could I use butiken instead of affären?

• Yes. affär and butik both mean “store/shop.” Nuance:
  • affär is very common and general; can also mean “business/deal.”
  • butik can feel a bit more “shop/boutique”-like in some contexts.
• Your sentence works with either: Han säger att butiken öppnar senare.

Why is öppnar (present) used to talk about the future?

• Swedish often uses the present tense for scheduled or timetabled future events: Affären öppnar senare (i dag).
• You can also use:
  • ska (plan/intention): Han säger att affären ska öppna senare.
  • kommer att (neutral prediction): Han säger att affären kommer att öppna senare.

Is öppnar upp okay?

• Colloquial Swedish sometimes says öppnar upp, but it’s redundant. Prefer plain öppnar, especially in writing.

How do I pronounce the tricky parts (ä, ö, g in säger, and att)?

• säga/säger: the g before e/i/y/ä/ö is a “y”-sound. säger ≈ “SAY-yer”.
• ä as in affären sounds like the vowel in “bed” but longer in the stressed syllable: affären ≈ a-fair-en (long “fair”).
• ö in öppnar is a rounded front vowel (like French “eu”): short here; öpp- is clipped.
• att:
  • As a complementizer (that), it’s typically pronounced with a clear final -t.
  • As an infinitive marker (to), it’s often reduced in speech, sounding like å.

Where can I place senare? Are other positions possible?

• Neutral: after the verb: affären öppnar senare.
• Main clause emphasis: you can front it (keeping V2): Senare öppnar affären.
• In att-clauses, fronting senare is uncommon; stick to … att affären öppnar senare.
• For explicit comparison: senare än vanligt (later than usual), senare i dag (later today).

What are the verb forms I need here?

• säga (to say): present säger, past sa/sade, supine sagt.
• öppna (to open): present öppnar, past öppnade, supine öppnat, imperative öppna!

Do I need a comma before att?

• No. Swedish normally does not use a comma before att in sentences like this.
• You might see commas with very long, inserted clauses, but the default is no comma.

How do I say “earlier” instead of “later,” and what’s the difference between sen, sent, and senare?

• “Earlier”: tidigare. Example: Han säger att affären öppnar tidigare.
• “Late” vs “later”:
  • sent = late (adverb): Affären stänger sent.
  • senare = later (comparative adverb): Affären stänger senare.
  • sen is the base adjective: en sen kväll (a late evening).