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Questions & Answers about Mötet börjar om nio minuter.
Why does it say mötet and not just möte?
Because Swedish marks definiteness with an ending. Möte is a neuter (ett) noun: ett möte = a meeting. The definite singular adds -t: mötet = the meeting. Full paradigm:
- ett möte (indefinite singular)
- mötet (definite singular)
- möten (indefinite plural)
- mötena (definite plural)
Why is the verb in the present (börjar) if the meeting is in the future?
Swedish commonly uses the present tense for scheduled or near-future events. Mötet börjar om nio minuter is perfectly natural. You can also say:
- Mötet ska börja om nio minuter (is supposed/expected to start)
- Mötet kommer att börja om nio minuter (will start; a bit more neutral/formal)
What does om mean here, and how is it different from other time prepositions?
Here om means “in (from now)”. Compare:
- om nio minuter = in nine minutes (from now)
- i nio minuter = for nine minutes (duration)
- på nio minuter = in nine minutes (time required to complete something)
- för nio minuter sedan = nine minutes ago
Can I change the word order to put the time first?
Yes. Om nio minuter börjar mötet. When you front a time expression, Swedish uses verb-second word order (V2), so the verb börjar must come right after the fronted phrase. Avoid: “Om nio minuter mötet börjar.”
Could I say Möte börjar om nio minuter (drop “the”)?
No. Swedish doesn’t allow a “zero article” for singular nouns like English sometimes does. You need either definite (Mötet börjar…) or indefinite (Ett möte börjar…).
Why minuter and not minut?
Because numbers above one take the plural. en minut (one minute), nio minuter (nine minutes). The plural indefinite of minut is minuter.
Does the verb change with the subject in Swedish?
No. Swedish verbs don’t agree with the subject. Present tense ends in -r for all persons: jag/du/han/hon/vi/ni/de börjar.
What’s the difference between börjar and startar?
Both can mean “starts,” but börjar is the default for events/activities (meetings, classes). Startar is common for machines, technical contexts, or when emphasizing the act of starting something up. Mötet börjar sounds most natural.
How do I pronounce the sentence?
Approximate pronunciation: [MÖH-tet BÖR-yar om NEE-o mi-NÜÜ-ter].
- ö as in French “deux” (rounded mid vowel)
- u in minuter is the front rounded ʉ (like a very fronted “oo” with rounded lips)
- j in börjar is a “y” sound
- Stress mainly on MÖ- in Mötet, BÖR- in börjar, NI- in nio, and -NÜÜ- in minuter
How would I say “about/in around nine minutes”?
Use an adverb of approximation before the numeral: om cirka/ungefär/runt nio minuter. Examples:
- Mötet börjar om cirka nio minuter.
- Mötet börjar om ungefär nio minuter.
How do I make a question or a negation from this sentence?
- Yes/no question: Börjar mötet om nio minuter?
- Negation: Mötet börjar inte om nio minuter. With fronted time: Om nio minuter börjar mötet, but negated: Om nio minuter börjar inte mötet (less common in practice; you’d often rephrase).
How do I say “at nine o’clock” instead of “in nine minutes”?
Use klockan + time: Mötet börjar klockan nio. Don’t use om nio to mean “at nine.”
What if I want to say “another nine minutes,” “less than,” or “more than”?
- Another: om ytterligare nio minuter (also colloquial: om nio minuter till)
- Less than: om mindre än nio minuter or om knappt nio minuter
- More than: om mer än nio minuter or om drygt nio minuter
Is there a more formal or alternative word for möte?
Yes. Sammanträde is a formal term (often for boards/committees): Sammanträdet börjar om nio minuter. For casual meet-ups, träff can be used in some contexts.