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Breakdown of Om bussen är sen, hinner vi inte med tåget.
vara
to be
vi
we
om
if
tåget
the train
inte
not
sen
late
bussen
the bus
hinna med
to catch
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Questions & Answers about Om bussen är sen, hinner vi inte med tåget.
Why is Swedish using present tense (är, hinner) when this is about the future?
Swedish often uses the present tense for scheduled or conditional future events when the time reference is clear from context.
- Om bussen är sen, hinner vi inte med tåget. = If the bus is late, we won’t make the train. You can also use a future construction, but it’s not required:
- Om bussen är sen, kommer vi inte att hinna med tåget.
- Om bussen är sen, ska vi inte hinna med tåget (less common in this meaning; better with kommer att here).
Why is it hinner vi and not vi hinner?
Swedish main clauses are verb-second (V2). When you put a subordinate clause first, that whole clause occupies position 1, so the finite verb in the main clause comes before the subject:
- Om bussen är sen, hinner vi inte med tåget. If you put the main clause first, there’s no inversion:
- Vi hinner inte med tåget om bussen är sen.
What’s the word order inside the subordinate clause Om bussen är sen?
In Swedish subordinate clauses, the order is typically Subjunction + Subject + Finite verb:
- Om bussen är sen (not Om är bussen sen). Main clauses have V2, subordinate clauses do not.
Where does inte go, and why does it split hinna med?
The sentence adverb inte goes after the finite verb in main clauses. With inversion, you get Verb–Subject–Inte:
- hinner vi inte ... Because hinna med is a particle verb, inte can appear between the verb and the particle:
- Vi hinner inte med tåget.
- Hinner vi inte med tåget?
What’s the difference between hinna and hinna med?
- hinna
- infinitive = have time to do something: Vi hinner äta.
- hinna med
- noun/pronoun = manage to catch/fit in something: Vi hinner med tåget. You generally need med when the complement is a noun like tåget. Saying hinna tåget is unidiomatic.
Why is it med tåget and not till/på tåget?
- hinna med (tåget) = catch/make the train.
- hinna till (tåget/stationen) = have time to get to the train/station (arrive there).
- på tåget = on the train (location).
Here, the idiom is specifically hinna med
- the thing you want to catch.
How does hinner inte med tåget differ from missar tåget?
- hinner inte med tåget highlights a time constraint (“won’t have time to make it”).
- missar tåget states the result (“miss the train”). They often overlap, but hinna (med) focuses on timing; missa focuses on the outcome.
Why are bussen and tåget in the definite form?
Swedish uses the definite form when referring to a specific, identifiable item:
- bussen (the bus we’re waiting for)
- tåget (the particular train we intend to take) This is like English “the bus/the train,” and Swedish marks definiteness with a suffix.
Is there a difference between är sen and är försenad?
Both are used, but there’s a nuance:
- är sen = is late (colloquial, very common for vehicles).
- är försenad = is delayed (slightly more formal/neutral, common in announcements). Either works here: Om bussen är (för)senad, ...
Can I say blir sen instead of är sen?
- är sen states a current or expected state at the relevant time.
- blir sen focuses on the process of becoming late. In conditionals, är sen is most natural, but skulle bli/vara sen can express a hypothetical:
- Om bussen skulle vara sen, ...
- Om bussen blir sen, ... (also possible).
Do I need the comma after the initial clause, and can I add så?
- The comma after an initial subordinate clause is recommended in standard Swedish: Om bussen är sen, ...
- Adding så as a correlating word is common in speech: Om bussen är sen, så hinner vi inte ... In formal writing, many prefer to omit så, but it isn’t wrong.
Can I reverse the clause order without changing the meaning?
Yes:
- Vi hinner inte med tåget om bussen är sen. Meaning and nuance remain essentially the same; the change mainly affects information flow and emphasis.
How is hinna conjugated?
It’s irregular:
- Infinitive: hinna
- Present: hinner
- Preterite (past): hann
- Supine (with har/hade): hunnit Examples: Vi hann inte. / Vi har hunnit med mycket.
Is hinna med separable, and where do pronouns go?
Yes, like other particle verbs, it can be split by inte, adverbs, and pronouns:
- Vi hinner inte med det.
- Vi hinner med det inte (unnatural; keep inte before the particle or after subject in inverted order).
- Hinner ni med den?
Could I say hinner vi inte tåget without med?
No. When the complement is a noun like tåget, Swedish needs the particle: hinna med tåget. Without med, it sounds incorrect.
What’s the difference between hinna med tåget and hinna ta tåget?
- hinna med tåget = manage to catch the train (idiomatic and most common).
- hinna (att) ta tåget = have time to take the train (grammatical, but less idiomatic in this “catch” sense). In practice, use hinna med for catching a departure.
Any quick pronunciation tips for the tricky words?
- bussen: BUH-sen, short u as in “put.”
- är: like English “air” but shorter.
- sen: “sane” without the final e; e as in “bed.”
- hinner: HIN-ner (short i).
- tåget: TOH-get (long å like “aw” in “law”; hard g).