Jag vill vara själv hemma.

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Breakdown of Jag vill vara själv hemma.

• vara: to be
• vilja: to want
• hemma: at home

Questions & Answers about Jag vill vara själv hemma.

Why is it vill vara and not vill är?

In Swedish, when one verb (like vill) is followed by another verb, the second verb must be in the infinitive form (the dictionary form), without att in this case.

• vill = want (conjugated, present tense)
• vara = to be (infinitive)

So the pattern is:

• Jag vill vara ... = I want to be ...
• Jag vill äta ... = I want to eat ...
• Jag vill sova ... = I want to sleep ...

You cannot say Jag vill är; är is the present tense form and cannot directly follow vill.

Why is there no att before vara?

Some Swedish verbs normally take att before an infinitive, but a group of modal-like verbs do not use att. These include:

• vill (want to)
• kan (can)
• måste (must, have to)
• ska (shall, going to)
• får (may, allowed to)

With these, you go directly to the infinitive:

• Jag vill vara själv hemma.
• Jag kan prata svenska.
• Jag måste gå nu.

So you say vill vara, not vill att vara or vill att jag är in this construction.