Breakdown of Jag gillar inte att störa henne när hon läser.
jag
I
gilla
to like
läsa
to read
att
to
när
when
hon
she
inte
not
henne
her
störa
to disturb
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Questions & Answers about Jag gillar inte att störa henne när hon läser.
Why do we need att before störa?
Because att is the Swedish infinitive marker (like English “to”). After verbs of liking/wanting such as gillar, you typically use att + infinitive: gillar att störa = “like to disturb.”
Can I drop att after gillar, like in English “I like disturb”?
No. In Swedish you generally keep att after gillar/tycker om. You drop att after modal verbs like vill, kan, ska, måste: e.g., Jag vill inte störa henne.
Why is the negation placed as gillar inte and not inte gillar?
In main clauses, Swedish is verb-second. The finite verb (gillar) must be in the second position, and sentence adverbs like inte go after it: Jag [subject] gillar [verb] inte [negation] ....
What’s the difference between Jag gillar inte att störa henne and Jag gillar att inte störa henne?
- Jag gillar inte att störa henne: I don’t like the act of disturbing her.
- Jag gillar att inte störa henne: I like not disturbing her (I enjoy refraining). The second is grammatical but less common; it changes the scope of the negation.
Why henne here but hon in när hon läser?
Henne is the object form of hon (she → her). In the main clause she is the object (störa henne), but in the time clause she is the subject (hon läser). Possessive would be hennes (“her/ hers”). A gender‑neutral alternative is hen (subject and object), possessive hens.
Could I use medan instead of när?
Yes: medan hon läser means “while she is reading,” emphasizing simultaneity. när hon läser can mean “when/whenever she reads” and is also fine here. Don’t use om (“if/whether”) in this meaning.
How does Swedish say “is reading” with just läser?
Swedish present tense often covers both simple and progressive aspects. hon läser can mean “she reads” or “she is reading” depending on context.
Can I front the time clause, like “When she reads, I don’t like to disturb her”?
Yes: När hon läser gillar jag inte att störa henne. Note the required inversion in the main clause (gillar jag) to keep the verb in second position.
What’s the difference between störa and stör?
störa is the infinitive (“to disturb”); stör is the present tense (“disturbs/is disturbing”). Some -ra verbs drop the -e- in the present: köra → kör, höra → hör, störa → stör.
Are there natural alternatives to this phrasing?
- Jag tycker inte om att störa henne när hon läser. (very common, neutral)
- Jag ogillar att störa henne när hon läser. (more formal)
- If you mean “interrupt,” use avbryta: Jag gillar inte att avbryta henne...
Do I need a comma before när hon läser?
No. Swedish uses fewer commas than English. You normally don’t put a comma before a restrictive när‑clause at the end: ... störa henne när hon läser.
Why is there no preposition before henne (no “to her”)?
Because störa takes a direct object in Swedish: störa någon (“disturb someone”), not störa till någon.
Can I emphasize the ongoing action with håller på?
Yes, for “is in the middle of reading”:
- ... när hon håller på att läsa (more formal/written), or
- ... när hon håller på och läser (very common speech).
Any quick pronunciation tips for this sentence?
- Jag: the final g is often weak or silent in speech ([jaː]).
- gillar: g before i sounds like English y: [ˈjɪlːar].
- att: short a; the final t may assimilate before consonants in fast speech.
- störa/stör: ö like French eu in “peur” ([ˈstøːra], [støːr]).
- henne: double n is long: [ˈhɛnːɛ].
- läser: long ä ([ˈlɛːsɛr]).
- när: long ä ([nɛːr]).