Learn Hardcore Swedish: Hon tänker åka hem tidigt idag. - She is planning to go home early today.

Here it means intention/plan: tänker + infinitive = “is planning/intending to.” For opinions you’d use tycker (thinks/is of the opinion) or tror (believes). Without an infinitive, tänker can also mean “is thinking (about),” e.g., Jag tänker på dig.

Why is there no att before åka?

With modal or modal-like verbs, Swedish drops att before the infinitive. Tänker behaves like a modal here, so Hon tänker åka … is correct. Hon tänker att åka … is ungrammatical. Compare: Hon planerar att åka … (here att is required because planera is not modal-like).

Could I say Hon ska åka hem tidigt i dag or Hon kommer att åka hem tidigt i dag instead? What’s the nuance?

Yes.

ska: planned/scheduled or externally arranged; often stronger/definite.
kommer att: neutral prediction about the future (no intention implied).
tänker: the subject’s own intention/plan. They overlap; choose based on what you want to emphasize.

Can I drop tänker and still express the future, e.g., Hon åker hem tidigt i dag?

Yes. Swedish often uses the present for near-future when time is clear from context. Hon åker hem tidigt i dag is natural.

Why åka and not gå?

åka = go/travel using some transport (car, bus, train, bike, etc.).
gå = go/walk on foot. If she’s walking home: Hon går hem. Otherwise: Hon åker hem.

What’s the difference between hem and hemma?

hem = movement/direction “home(ward)” (e.g., åka hem, komma hem).
hemma = stationary location “at home” (e.g., Hon är hemma). Also hemåt = “homewards.”

Do I ever say till hem?

Not for “go home.” Use hem alone with motion verbs: åka hem, gå hem. till hemmet only when hemmet is a concrete noun like “the home” (e.g., a care home), not your own home in general.

Where does the negation inte go?

With two verbs (as in the original): after the finite verb: Hon tänker inte åka hem tidigt i dag.
With one verb: Hon åker inte hem i dag. With motion particles like hem, inte comes before the particle: åker inte hem.

Why is tänker in second position? Can I front the time?

Main clauses follow the V2 rule (finite verb in second position). You can front i dag, but the verb stays second: I dag tänker hon åka hem tidigt.

Is it i dag or idag?

Both are correct. i dag is the traditional/official form; idag is very common in everyday writing. In formal contexts, many prefer i dag.

Is the placement … hem tidigt i dag the most natural? What about … tidigt i dag hem or … i dag tidigt?

The neutral order is åka hem tidigt i dag. Keep hem close to the verb, and let tidigt/i dag sit at the end or front the time as a unit: I dag tänker hon åka hem tidigt. Orders like … tidigt i dag hem sound odd.

Is tidigt an adverb here? How does it relate to tidig?

Yes. tidigt is the adverb formed from the adjective tidig (“early”). Swedish often makes adverbs by adding -t: snabb → snabbt, långsam → långsamt.

Can I say “earlier” instead of “early,” as in “earlier today”?

Use the comparative adverb tidigare: Hon tänker åka hem tidigare i dag (“earlier today,” i.e., earlier than usual/expected).

Any quick pronunciation tips for the tricky sounds?

å (in åka) ≈ the vowel in English “awe,” long: roughly “OH-ka.”
ä (in tänker) ≈ “e” in “bed,” slightly longer.
nk (in tänker) sounds like “ngk” (as in “think” but with an audible g): TEHNG-ker.
hem has a short e like English “hem.” Primary stress on the first syllable: TÄN-ker, Å-ka.

Could I use the gender‑neutral pronoun hen instead of hon?

Yes. hen is a widely used gender-neutral pronoun. The sentence becomes Hen tänker åka hem tidigt i dag.

Is åka hem a fixed particle-like combination, and does that affect word order?

hem acts like a directional particle/adverb. Keep it adjacent to the verb, and place sentence adverbs (e.g., inte, kanske) before hem: åker inte hem, åker kanske hem.