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Breakdown of Om du skyndar dig, hinner vi precis med tåget.
du
you
vi
we
om
if
tåget
the train
dig
you
skynda
to hurry
hinna med
to catch
precis
just
Questions & Answers about Om du skyndar dig, hinner vi precis med tåget.
Why is it skyndar dig and not skyndar du?
Because skynda sig is a reflexive verb in Swedish: you “hurry yourself.” The reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject.
- jag skyndar mig
- du skyndar dig
- han/hon skyndar sig
- vi skyndar oss
- ni skyndar er
- de skyndar sig
Note: Skynda dig! is the imperative. In your sentence, it’s the present indicative inside an if-clause: Om du skyndar dig …
Why is hinner in the present tense even though the meaning is about the future?
Swedish often uses the present to talk about future results in time/conditional clauses. Here, “If you hurry now, we will (just) make the train” is expressed with present forms: skyndar … hinner. You could use a future auxiliary (kommer att) but it’s not needed.
Why is it hinner vi (verb before subject) after the comma?
Swedish main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb is in second position. When you start the sentence with a subordinate clause (Om du skyndar dig), that whole clause counts as the first element, so the verb of the main clause must come next, before the subject: … hinner vi …. If you put the main clause first, you get normal subject–verb order: Vi hinner precis med tåget om du skyndar dig.
What does hinna (med) mean, and how do I use it?
- hinna + infinitive = have time/manage to do something in time: Vi hinner äta.
- hinna med + noun = make/catch/fit something in: Vi hinner med tåget.
- Negative: Jag hinner inte (I don’t have time / won’t make it).
Avoid plain hinna + noun; use hinna med + noun instead.
Why med tåget—does that really mean “catch the train”?
Yes. With transport, hinna med + vehicle means “to catch (make) it in time”: hinna med tåget/bussen/flyget. Don’t say hinna tåget. Alternatives:
- komma med tåget = succeed in getting on the train
- ta tåget = go by train (not about making it just in time)
What does precis mean here, and where can I place it?
Here precis means “just (barely).” Natural placements:
- hinner vi precis med tåget (as in the sentence)
- hinner vi med tåget precis (end placement; a bit more afterthought)
Don’t front it before the verb in this structure; V2 requires the verb first in the main clause proper after a fronted element.
Do I need så after the om-clause?
It’s optional. Both are fine:
- Om du skyndar dig, hinner vi precis med tåget.
- Om du skyndar dig, så hinner vi precis med tåget. Adding så can sound a bit more conversational or emphatic.
Why the definite form tåget and not ett tåg?
It’s a specific, known departure (“the train we’re trying to catch”), so Swedish uses the definite form. tåg is a neuter noun:
- indefinite: ett tåg
- definite singular: tåget
Is the comma after the om-clause necessary?
Standard Swedish uses a comma between a fronted subordinate clause and the following main clause, so it’s recommended: Om du skyndar dig, hinner vi …. If the main clause comes first, no comma is needed: Vi hinner … om du skyndar dig.
How do you conjugate hinna?
It’s irregular:
- infinitive: hinna
- present: hinner
- preterite: hann
- supine: hunnit
Examples:
- Vi hinner.
- Vi hann.
- Vi har hunnit.
Can I say Om du skyndar dig, vi hinner …?
No. After a fronted subordinate clause, the main clause must start with the finite verb (V2): Om du skyndar dig, hinner vi precis med tåget.
What’s the difference between skynda dig and skynda på?
- skynda dig = hurry (yourself). Neutral, common: Skynda dig!
- skynda på = hurry up/speed up, often used to urge someone or to make a process go faster: Skynda på nu!; Vi måste skynda på mötet. Both can be used intransitively as an exhortation, but skynda dig explicitly targets the person.
Is hinna att acceptable?
In modern standard Swedish, prefer:
- hinna göra X (bare infinitive), or
- hinna med X / hinna med att göra X when there’s a noun-like object or you want to stress “fitting it in.”
Plain hinna att göra X (without med) is uncommon and often advised against in contemporary usage.
How would negation work in this sentence?
- Negate the subordinate clause: Om du inte skyndar dig, hinner vi inte med tåget.
- In the main clause with inversion, the sentence adverb inte comes after the subject: hinner vi inte med tåget.
Any pronunciation tips for tricky words?
- skyndar: [ˈɧʏnːdar] — the initial sound is the Swedish “sj”-sound; y is a rounded front vowel (like French “u”).
- dig: often pronounced [dej]/[dɛj] in Standard Swedish (sounds like “day”).
- hinner: [ˈhɪnːɛr].
- tåget: [ˈtoːɡɛt] — long å like “tore” without the r; the g stays a hard [g] here.
Can I move the om-clause to the end?
Yes: Vi hinner precis med tåget om du skyndar dig. Then you keep normal subject–verb order in the main clause (Vi hinner …).
Are there natural alternatives to express “just in time”?
Yes:
- Vi hinner nätt och jämt med tåget. (we barely make the train)
- Vi hinner med tåget i sista stund. (at the last moment)
- Vi hinner med tåget med nöd och näppe. (by the skin of our teeth)
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