Breakdown of Jag vill öva mer svenska varje kväll.
jag
I
vilja
to want
svenska
Swedish
kvällen
the evening
varje
every
mer
more
öva
to practice
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Questions & Answers about Jag vill öva mer svenska varje kväll.
Why is there no article before bold svenska?
Because names of languages in Swedish are treated like mass nouns and normally appear without an article when you mean “to speak/study/practice [language].” So you say:
- Jag talar bold svenska.
- Jag lär mig bold svenska.
- Jag vill öva bold svenska. Adding an article here (for example, bold den svenska) would change the meaning or sound odd.
Why is bold svenska lowercase?
In Swedish, names of languages, nationalities, months, and days are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence. So bold svenska is lowercase even though English capitalizes “Swedish.”
Can I use bold svenskan instead of bold svenska here?
As an object after verbs like bold öva/läsa/lära sig, modern Swedish usually uses the indefinite mass form bold svenska. The definite form bold svenskan is fine when you refer to the language as a subject or a school subject, e.g., “bold Svenskan är svår” or “bold Jag fick A i svenskan.” “bold Jag vill öva svenskan” can sound old‑fashioned or dialectal; prefer bold öva svenska.
Is bold öva mer svenska the most natural order? Could I say bold öva svenska mer?
Both are possible, with a nuance:
- bold öva mer svenska = “more Swedish” (a greater amount/quantity of Swedish content).
- bold öva svenska mer = “practice Swedish more” (more often/for longer). With bold varje kväll, either can fit. Choose based on whether you mean more quantity each evening or a higher frequency/duration.
Do I need bold på: bold öva på svenska?
You don’t need it, but it’s common and idiomatic:
- bold öva svenska = practice Swedish (direct object).
- bold öva på svenska = also “practice Swedish”; the particle bold på often appears with bold öva when you mean “work on improving” something. Note: bold på svenska can also mean “in Swedish” (e.g., bold Säg det på svenska). Context usually disambiguates.
Where can I put bold varje kväll? Does word order change?
Common options:
- Neutral: bold Jag vill öva mer svenska varje kväll.
- Fronted for emphasis on frequency (V2/inversion): bold Varje kväll vill jag öva mer svenska. Don’t add a preposition: it’s not bold på varje kväll.
Do I need bold att between bold vill and bold öva?
No. After modal(-like) verbs such as bold vill, bold kan, bold ska, bold måste, bold bör, bold brukar, Swedish uses a bare infinitive: bold Jag vill öva …, not “Jag vill att öva …”
Where does the negation bold inte go in this sentence?
After the finite verb bold vill:
- bold Jag vill inte öva mer svenska varje kväll. Putting bold inte before bold vill negates the wanting itself (“I don’t want to…”), which is the usual reading here.
Why bold mer and not bold fler?
Use bold mer with uncountable nouns, adjectives, and adverbs; use bold fler with countable plural nouns.
- bold mer svenska, mer tid, mer intensivt
- bold fler böcker, fler kurser Since bold svenska is a mass noun here, you need bold mer.
What about bold mera? Is it different from bold mer?
bold mera means the same as bold mer. bold mer is more common and preferred in standard writing; bold mera can sound slightly more colloquial, dialectal, or emphatic. Either works: bold öva mer/mera svenska.
Is bold vill the best choice? How is it different from bold skulle vilja or bold vill gärna?
- bold vill = a straightforward present desire.
- bold skulle vilja = softer/more polite (“would like to”).
- bold vill gärna = adds willingness/enthusiasm (“would gladly like to”). All are grammatical: e.g., bold Jag skulle vilja öva svenska varje kväll.
Can I say bold Jag vill öva min svenska?
Understandable, but not the most idiomatic. More natural:
- bold Jag vill öva svenska (mer).
- bold Jag vill öva på min svenska. (“work on my Swedish”)
- bold Jag vill träna svenska. / bold Jag vill träna på min svenska. are also common.
Could I use other verbs like bold träna, bold plugga, or bold läsa instead of bold öva?
Yes, with nuances:
- bold träna (svenska) = practice/train; common in learner contexts.
- bold plugga (svenska) = study/cram (informal).
- bold läsa (svenska) = study/take (the subject Swedish), especially in school/university.
- bold studera (svenska) = study (more formal).
Why is it bold varje kväll (singular)? Can I say bold alla kvällar?
After bold varje, the noun is singular: bold varje kväll = every evening (distributive). Alternatives:
- bold alla kvällar = all evenings (collective; slightly different nuance).
- bold varenda kväll = every single evening (emphatic).
- bold på kvällarna = in the evenings (a general habit), not literally every evening.
Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?
- bold Jag: often [ja] in casual speech; the g is usually silent.
- bold vill: short i and long l: [vɪlː].
- bold öva: bold ö ≈ French “eu” in “bleu”: [ˈøːva].
- bold mer: long e: [meːr].
- bold svenska: stress first syllable: [ˈsvɛn.ska].
- bold varje: [ˈvɑr.je].
- bold kväll: ä ≈ [ɛ]; double l long: [kvɛlː].
If I front bold Varje kväll, do I need inversion?
Yes. Swedish is V2: the finite verb must be in second position.
- Correct: bold Varje kväll vill jag öva mer svenska.
- Not: “Varje kväll jag vill …”
Can I say bold Jag vill öva mer i svenska?
Not for this meaning. Use:
- bold öva (på) svenska to mean “practice Swedish.” bold i svenska is used for the school subject when talking about grades/ability: bold Jag fick A i svenska; bold Jag är bra i svenska.