Learn Hardcore Swedish: Jag vill inte förlora lika många matcher som förra året. - I do not want to lose as many matches as last year.

In Swedish main clauses, the finite verb (the one that’s conjugated for tense/person) normally comes in second position (the “V2 rule”). In this sentence:

Jag = subject
vill = finite verb
inte = negation
förlora = infinitive verb

Word order rule (simplified):

First slot: often the subject (Jag).
Second slot: finite verb (vill).
Then: negation, objects, adverbs (inte, lika många matcher …).
Infinitive verb(s) come later (förlora).

So:

✅ Jag vill inte förlora … = correct
❌ Jag inte vill förlora … = wrong word order in a main clause
❌ Jag vill förlora inte … = sounds very odd/wrong

Putting inte right after the finite verb vill follows standard Swedish main clause word order.

Why do we use vill + förlora instead of just one verb form?

Vill is a modal verb meaning want to / would like to, and it is followed by an infinitive:

vilja (infinitive) → vill (present tense)
förlora = to lose (infinitive)

Pattern:

Jag vill äta. = I want to eat.
Jag vill sova. = I want to sleep.
Jag vill inte förlora. = I don’t want to lose.

So vill carries tense and subject agreement, while förlora stays in the infinitive form because it’s the action that is wanted (or in this case, not wanted).

How does the structure lika många … som work? What does it literally mean?

Lika många … som is a comparison pattern meaning as many … as.

General pattern:

lika + adjective/adverb + som = as … as
lika många + plural noun + som = as many … as

Examples:

lika stor som = as big as
lika bra som = as good as
lika många matcher som = as many matches as

In the sentence:

lika många matcher = as many matches
som förra året = as (there were) last year / as last year

So Jag vill inte förlora lika många matcher som förra året literally is:

I want not to lose as many matches as last year.

Why is matcher plural without an article? Why not de matcher or something similar?

In Swedish, when you talk about how many of something in general, you typically use:

många + indefinite plural noun

So:

många matcher = many matches
lika många matcher = as many matches

No article is needed because you’re not talking about specific, identified matches, but about the quantity in general. Compare:

Jag vill inte förlora lika många matcher som förra året.
= I don’t want to lose as many matches (in total) as last year.

If you said something like:

de matcher = the matches (specific ones)

that would refer to particular matches already known from context, which is not the intention here.

What is som doing in lika många matcher som förra året?

Here som is a comparative conjunction roughly meaning as in English.

The full comparative pattern is:

lika … som … = as … as …

Examples:

Han är lika lång som jag. = He is as tall as I am.
Vi tjänar lika mycket som dem. = We earn as much as they do.
Jag vill inte förlora lika många matcher som förra året.
= I don’t want to lose as many matches as last year.

So som introduces the standard of comparison (“last year” in this case).

Why is it förra året and not something like i förra året?

Förra året literally means last year. With förra (“last/previous”) and nästa (“next”), Swedish typically doesn’t add a preposition when you’re just naming the time period:

förra året = last year
förra veckan = last week
nästa månad = next month

You would use i (in) with this / that kinds of forms:

i år = this year
i fjol = last year (another word)
i veckan = this week / during the week (context‑dependent)

You can say things like:

under förra året = during last year

but the sentence som förra året is the normal, compact way to say as last year in a comparison.

Why is vill in the present tense if the meaning is about the future (“don’t want to lose as many matches this season/coming year”)?

In Swedish, the present tense is often used to talk about the near future, especially for plans, intentions, and scheduled events. You don’t need a special “will” form like in English.

Examples:

Jag åker imorgon. = I’m going (I’ll go) tomorrow.
Matchen börjar klockan sju. = The match starts at seven.
Jag vill inte förlora lika många matcher som förra året.
= I don’t want to lose as many matches as last year (in the coming season).

The present vill expresses a current desire/intention that naturally refers to future results (future matches).

Could you also say Jag vill inte förlora så många matcher som förra året? What’s the difference from lika många?

Yes, you can say:

Jag vill inte förlora så många matcher som förra året.

Differences:

lika många … som = exactly “as many … as” (an exact comparison)
så många … som = “so many … as” / “that many … as” (a bit looser, often more emotional or approximate)

In practice, both can mean almost the same here: I don’t want to lose that many matches again / as many as last year.
Lika många sounds slightly more neutral and strictly comparative; så många can sound a bit more like “that many (again!)” with some emotional coloring, depending on tone.

Can I move inte somewhere else, like Jag vill förlora inte lika många matcher …?

No, that word order is not natural in Swedish.

Correct, natural position in this kind of main clause:

Subject – finite verb – inte – rest

So:

✅ Jag vill inte förlora lika många matcher som förra året.

Putting inte after förlora or inside the noun phrase (before lika många) is wrong or very unnatural in standard Swedish:

❌ Jag vill förlora inte lika många matcher …
❌ Jag vill förlora lika inte många matcher …

The basic rule: in a simple main clause with a modal verb + infinitive, keep inte right after the finite verb.

What’s the difference between förlora and tappa? Could I say tappa matcher?

förlora = to lose (a game, match, war, money, etc.) in the sense of not winning or being deprived of something.
tappa = to drop / to lose (physical possession of something) or sometimes metaphorically (e.g. tappa rösten = lose one’s voice).

For sports results:

förlora en match = lose a match (correct)
❌ tappa en match in the sense “lose a match” is not natural standard Swedish.

So in this sentence, förlora matcher is exactly right; tappa matcher would be wrong.