Learn Hardcore Swedish: Kan du slänga soporna när du går ut? - Can you throw out the trash when you go out?

In everyday Swedish, Kan du ...? is primarily heard as a polite request, not a literal question about ability. It’s roughly like English “Can you…?” used as “Please could you…?”. To sound extra polite, you can upgrade to Skulle du kunna …? or add tack at the end: Kan du slänga soporna när du går ut, tack?

Why is it "slänga" and not "slänger" after "kan"?

Because kan is a modal verb and is followed by the infinitive (the basic form) without “att.” So: kan slänga, kan gå, kan göra. If you remove the modal, you’d conjugate: Du slänger soporna när du går ut.

Why is it "soporna" with the definite ending -na?

Swedish often uses the definite form when both speaker and listener know what specific items are meant. Soporna = “the trash (that we both know about—the household trash).” Using the indefinite sopor here would sound like “some trash” in general, not the usual house trash to be taken out.

Are "sopor" always plural? Is there a singular?

Yes, sopor (“trash/garbage”) is typically plural-only in this sense. The definite plural is soporna. There isn’t a normal everyday singular meaning “a trash.” Be careful: en sopa exists but is an insult meaning “a loser/idiot,” not a piece of garbage. Alternatives for the general concept are skräp or the more formal avfall.

What’s the difference between "slänga," "kasta," "ta ut," and "gå ut med" for trash?

slänga (soporna) = throw away the trash (very common and casual; implies putting it in the outdoor bin/dumpster).
kasta (soporna) = throw away (neutral; fine too).
ta ut soporna = take the trash out (focus on carrying it outside).
gå ut med soporna = go out with the trash (also common; similar to “take out”). All are natural; choice depends on what you want to emphasize (throwing away vs carrying out).

Can I say "slänga ut soporna"?

Usually no. Slänga ut means “to throw out (out of something),” often implying a forceful motion (even figuratively: “kick someone out”). For trash, slänga soporna, ta ut soporna, or gå ut med soporna are the idiomatic choices.

Where does "inte" go if I want to say “Can’t you throw out the trash…”?

In a main clause, inte comes after the finite verb:

Question: Kan du inte slänga soporna när du går ut?
Statement: Du kan inte slänga soporna när du går ut. For an imperative (command), it comes right after the verb: Släng inte soporna på måndag.

Present tense "går" looks like “go,” but the meaning is future-ish. Is that normal?

Yes. Swedish present tense is frequently used for near future or scheduled events. när du går ut means “when you go out (later/when that happens),” not necessarily right now.

Why is it "när du går ut" and not "när går du ut"?

Because när du går ut is a subordinate time clause (“when you go out”), not a direct question. In Swedish subordinate clauses, the subject comes before the verb (no inversion): du går, not går du. När går du ut? would be a separate question meaning “When are you going out?”

Can I put the time clause first: "När du går ut, kan du slänga soporna?"

Yes. That’s perfectly fine and quite natural. When a subordinate clause leads, the main clause still keeps verb-second word order, so: När du går ut, kan du slänga soporna? A comma after the initial clause is standard.

Is "gå ut" a particle verb? How does that affect placement?

Yes, gå ut is a verb + particle combination. The particle ut stays close to the verb:

Jag går ut nu.
With an object: Jag går ut med soporna.
With negation: Jag går inte ut. In the infinitive: att gå ut; with a modal: kan gå ut.

How would you pronounce the sentence?

Rough guide (Swedish phonemes):

Kan [kan] (short a)
du [dʉː] (long, rounded vowel)
slänga [ˈslɛŋa] (ä like “e” in “bet”; ng = [ŋ])
soporna [ˈsuːpʊrna] (first o long [uː])
när [nɛːr] (long ä-like vowel)
du [dʉː]
går [goːr] (long o)
ut [ʉːt] (long [ʉː]) Overall: [kan dʉː ˈslɛŋa ˈsuːpʊrna nɛːr dʉː goːr ʉːt]

How can I make this more or less polite?

Neutral/polite: Kan du slänga soporna när du går ut?
More polite: Skulle du kunna slänga soporna när du går ut?
Softener: add tack at the end.
Extra soft: Kan du vara snäll och slänga soporna när du går ut?
More direct (imperative): Släng soporna när du går ut.

What’s the difference between "när" and "om" here?

när = “when” (time) and presumes the event will happen: när du går ut = when you go out.
om = “if” (condition): om du går ut = if you go out (maybe you will, maybe you won’t). Choose based on certainty: time vs condition.

Why is "du" repeated? Can I drop the second "du"?

You can’t drop it. Swedish generally requires explicit subjects in each clause. So it must be när du går ut, not “när går ut.”

Is there a difference between "gå ut" meaning “step outside” and “go out (for the evening)”?

Context decides:

“Step outside/leave the house”: Jag går ut nu.
“Go out socially”: Vi ska gå ut ikväll. Your sentence works in either reading; the trash context implies stepping outside to the bins.

If I replace "soporna" with a pronoun, which one should I use?

Use the object form dem in standard writing: Kan du slänga dem när du går ut? In speech, most people say dom for both de (they) and dem (them), and many write dom informally. Avoid de as an object here.

Could I say "Kan du kanske slänga soporna..."? Where do softeners like "kanske" go?

Yes. Common placements:

Kan du kanske slänga soporna…
Kan du slänga soporna kanske… (more conversational) Both sound natural. With modals, kanske often comes right after the subject or later as a soft afterthought.

Is "slänga" too informal? Would "kasta" be better?

Slänga is perfectly fine in everyday speech and very common in the collocation slänga soporna. Kasta is a bit more neutral/formal but also common. Neither is wrong; use what you hear around you.

Any quick word-order pitfalls to avoid?

Don’t say: Kan du slänger soporna… (modal + infinitive, so use slänga).
Keep verb-second in the main clause: När du går ut, kan du… (not “När du går ut, du kan…”).
In subordinate clauses, no inversion: när du går, not när går du (unless it’s a question).