Jag vill öva mer svenska varje kväll.

Questions & Answers about Jag vill öva mer svenska varje kväll.

Why is it Jag vill öva and not Jag vill att öva?

Because after the modal verb vill (want to), Swedish normally uses the infinitive directly, without any extra word.

  • Jag vill öva = I want to practise
  • Jag vill läsa = I want to read
  • Jag vill sova = I want to sleep

English uses to, but Swedish does not after modal verbs like kan, ska, vill, måste, får.

So:

  • Jag vill öva = correct
  • Jag vill att öva = incorrect

Note that att can be used with other infinitives, but not after modal verbs like vill.

What does öva mean here?

Öva means to practise or to train.

In this sentence, öva svenska means practise Swedish.

It is a very common verb when talking about improving a skill:

  • öva svenska = practise Swedish
  • öva piano = practise piano
  • öva inför provet = study/practise for the test

A closely related noun is övning, which means exercise or practice activity.

Why is it mer svenska? Does that literally mean more Swedish?

Yes, literally it does mean more Swedish, and in Swedish that is a normal way to say practise Swedish more.

So:

  • öva mer svenska = practise more Swedish / practise Swedish more

Here mer modifies the amount or extent of practice. It does not mean that the language itself becomes more Swedish in some strange way. It simply means the speaker wants to increase how much Swedish they practise.

Compare:

  • Jag måste läsa mer svenska. = I need to read more Swedish.
  • Hon vill tala mer svenska hemma. = She wants to speak more Swedish at home.
Could you also say Jag vill öva svenska mer?

Yes, that is possible, but it gives a slightly different emphasis.

  • Jag vill öva mer svenska often sounds like I want to do more Swedish practice
  • Jag vill öva svenska mer often sounds like I want to practise Swedish more than I do now

Both are understandable and natural, but the original sentence is very idiomatic.

Word placement in Swedish often affects emphasis more than basic meaning.

Why is there no word for on in every evening?

Because Swedish usually says varje kväll directly, without a preposition.

  • varje kväll = every evening
  • varje dag = every day
  • varje vecka = every week

English often uses expressions like every evening too, so this matches fairly well. But if you were thinking of in the evening or on evenings, Swedish handles those differently:

  • på kvällen = in the evening / in the evening time
  • varje kväll = every evening

So varje kväll is the correct phrase here.

What case or form is svenska here?

Here svenska is the name of the language Swedish.

In Swedish, language names often look like adjectives, and svenska can mean:

  • Swedish as a language
  • Swedish as an adjective in some forms

In this sentence, it is being used as a noun meaning the Swedish language:

  • Jag talar svenska. = I speak Swedish.
  • Jag studerar svenska. = I study Swedish.

So svenska here is not describing another noun. It itself means Swedish.

Why is the word order Jag vill öva mer svenska varje kväll?

Swedish word order in a main clause is usually:

subject + verb + infinitive/complements + time expression

So here:

  • Jag = subject
  • vill = finite verb
  • öva = infinitive
  • mer svenska = object/complement
  • varje kväll = time expression

This makes the sentence very natural.

A useful pattern is:

  • Jag vill läsa en bok ikväll.
  • Hon kan tala svenska nu.
  • Vi måste jobba mer varje dag.

Time expressions like varje kväll often come later in the sentence.

Can öva take a direct object like svenska without a preposition?

Yes. In Swedish, öva can be used directly with the thing you are practising.

  • öva svenska = practise Swedish
  • öva uttal = practise pronunciation
  • öva glosor = practise vocabulary

This is normal and common.

You may also see other patterns, such as:

  • öva på svenska in some contexts, but that usually changes the meaning or structure
  • öva på att tala svenska = practise speaking Swedish

So in your sentence, öva svenska is straightforward and correct.

Is kväll the same as afton?

Not exactly. Both relate to evening, but kväll is the normal everyday word.

  • kväll = evening
  • afton = evening, but more formal, literary, or fixed-expression style

For normal conversation, use kväll:

  • i kväll / ikväll = tonight
  • varje kväll = every evening

You will see afton in names and set phrases, such as:

  • julafton = Christmas Eve

So varje kväll is the natural choice here.

How do you pronounce öva?

A rough English-friendly guide is UR-va, but the first vowel is not a normal English u sound.

More help:

  • ö is a rounded vowel that English does not really have
  • v is like English v
  • a at the end is like a short open a, somewhat like the a in sofa in many accents

So öva is approximately ÖH-va or UR-va, depending on how you are approximating it.

The important thing is to learn the Swedish ö sound separately, since it appears in many common words:

  • öva
  • söt
  • för
Could I say träna svenska instead of öva svenska?

Sometimes, but öva is usually the better choice here.

  • öva = practise a skill
  • träna = train, exercise, work on something repeatedly, often with a sense of training

For a language, öva svenska is very common and natural.
Träna svenska may also be understood, but it is less standard in many contexts.

A very common expression is:

  • träna på svenska = practise Swedish
  • träna på att prata svenska = practise speaking Swedish

So:

  • öva svenska = very natural
  • träna på svenska = also natural
  • träna svenska = possible, but less common depending on context
Why isn’t it svenskan?

Because when talking about a language in a general sense, Swedish usually uses the indefinite form.

  • Jag lär mig svenska. = I’m learning Swedish.
  • Hon talar spanska. = She speaks Spanish.

The definite form svenskan can be used, but it usually sounds more specific, like the Swedish language as a subject or topic:

  • Svenskan är svår ibland. = Swedish is difficult sometimes.
  • Jag älskar svenskan. = I love the Swedish language.

In your sentence, the general indefinite form svenska is the normal choice.

Can varje kväll go earlier in the sentence?

Yes, it can, but then the word order changes because Swedish main clauses follow the verb-second rule.

Original:

  • Jag vill öva mer svenska varje kväll.

Fronted time expression:

  • Varje kväll vill jag öva mer svenska.

Notice that when Varje kväll comes first, vill must come before jag.

This is a very important Swedish pattern:

  • Idag läser jag svenska.
  • På måndag börjar vi.
  • Varje kväll vill jag öva mer svenska.

So yes, you can move it, but you must also change the word order correctly.

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