Barnen somnar inte utan sin filt.

The children do not fall asleep without their blanket.

Breakdown of Barnen somnar inte utan sin filt.

• inte: not
• barnet: the child
• utan: without
• sin: their
• somna: to fall asleep
• filten: the blanket

Questions & Answers about Barnen somnar inte utan sin filt.

Why is it barnen and not just barn?

Barn means children in a general or indefinite sense, like children / kids.

Barnen is the definite plural form and means the children.

Swedish usually adds the definite ending to the noun instead of using an article like the.
So:

• barn = children / kids
• barnen = the children

In this sentence we’re talking about specific children (the ones we know about), so Swedish uses barnen.

What does somnar mean exactly, and how is it different from sover?

Both relate to sleep, but they are used differently:

• somnar = fall asleep, the process of going from awake to asleep
• sover = sleep, the state of being asleep

So:

• Barnen somnar inte = The children do not fall asleep.
• Barnen sover inte = The children are not sleeping.

In this sentence, the focus is on them not managing to fall asleep without the blanket, so somnar is correct.

Why is the word order somnar inte and not inte somnar?

Swedish has a verb-second (V2) word order in main clauses: the finite verb (here somnar) normally comes in the second position.

In a simple statement:

1. Subject: Barnen
2. Finite verb: somnar
3. Negation / other elements: inte utan sin filt

So Barnen somnar inte … is the normal order.

Barnen inte somnar … is wrong in standard Swedish.

What does utan mean here, and is it the same as English without?

Yes, here utan means without.

• utan sin filt = without their blanket

Be aware that utan can also mean but / but rather / instead in some constructions:

• Inte kaffe utan te. = Not coffee but tea.

In your sentence, it’s clearly the without meaning.

Why is it sin filt and not deras filt?

Swedish distinguishes between:

• sin/sitt/sina: reflexive possessive – refers back to the subject of the same clause
• deras: non‑reflexive – refers to someone else’s or is neutral about whose

Here, Barnen are the subject, and the blanket belongs to them. So Swedish uses the reflexive form:

• Barnen somnar inte utan sin filt.
  = The children don’t fall asleep without their (own) blanket.

If you said:

• Barnen somnar inte utan deras filt.

then it would usually mean:
The children don’t fall asleep without their blanket – where the blanket belongs to some other group of people, not the children themselves.

Why is it sin and not sitt or sina?

The form of the reflexive possessive pronoun (sin / sitt / sina) depends on the noun it modifies, not on the owner:

• sin
  • en-word, singular: sin filt, sin bok
• sitt
  • ett-word, singular: sitt hus, sitt barn
• sina
  • any plural noun: sina filtar, sina böcker, sina barn

Since filt is an en-word and singular (en filt, a blanket), we use sin:

• utan sin filt = without their (own) blanket

Could you also say Barnen somnar inte utan filt? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

• Barnen somnar inte utan filt.

That means roughly The children don’t fall asleep without a blanket / without any blanket – it’s more general.

With utan sin filt, you specify that it’s their own blanket, probably that particular blanket they’re attached to. It sounds more specific and personal:

• utan filt = without (any) blanket
• utan sin filt = without their own blanket

Is filt always singular here? How would you say blankets?

In your sentence, filt is singular: one blanket.

• Singular: en filt = a blanket
• Definite singular: filten = the blanket
• Plural: filtar = blankets
• Definite plural: filtarna = the blankets

If the children each needed their blankets (plural), you could say:

• Barnen somnar inte utan sina filtar.
  = The children don’t fall asleep without their blankets.

Here sina matches the plural filtar.

Is there any difference between Barnen somnar inte utan sin filt and Barnen kan inte somna utan sin filt?

Yes, there’s a nuance:

• Barnen somnar inte utan sin filt.
  States a fact: they don’t (in practice) fall asleep without their blanket.

• Barnen kan inte somna utan sin filt.
  Adds kan (can), emphasizing ability: they cannot fall asleep without their blanket (it’s impossible / very hard for them).

Both are natural; the version with kan inte sounds a bit stronger.

Where would inte go if I changed the word order, for example starting with another element?

The finite verb still wants to be in second position. Inte comes after that.

Example: move utan sin filt to the start:

• Utan sin filt somnar barnen inte.

Order:

1. Adverbial: Utan sin filt
2. Finite verb: somnar
3. Subject: barnen
4. Negation: inte

You can move elements for emphasis, but somnar stays in position 2, and inte follows it.