Jag vill drömma på svenska.

I want to dream in Swedish.

Breakdown of Jag vill drömma på svenska.

• jag: I
• vilja: to want
• svenska: Swedish
• på: in
• drömma: to dream

Questions & Answers about Jag vill drömma på svenska.

Why is it drömma and not drömmer in this sentence?

In Swedish, when you use vill (to want) followed by another verb, that second verb must be in the infinitive form.

• drömma = infinitive (to dream)
• drömmer = present tense (dream / is dreaming)

So:

• Jag drömmer. = I dream / I am dreaming.
• Jag vill drömma. = I want to dream.

Using Jag vill drömmer is ungrammatical in Swedish, just like I want dream is wrong in English.

Why is there no att between vill and drömma?

With vill + verb, Swedish normally does not use att before the infinitive:

• Jag vill drömma. = I want to dream.
• Jag vill läsa. = I want to read.
• Jag vill äta nu. = I want to eat now.

You use vill att when it is followed by a full clause with its own subject, not just a verb:

• Jag vill att du drömmer på svenska.
  = I want you to dream in Swedish.

So:

• Same subject → vill
  • infinitive: Jag vill drömma
• Different subject → vill att
  • clause: Jag vill att du drömmer

What exactly does vill mean here, and how is it different from vill ha?

vill is the present tense of vilja (to want).

1. vill + infinitive verb → wanting to do something

   • Jag vill drömma. = I want to dream.
   • Jag vill tala svenska. = I want to speak Swedish.

2. vill ha + noun → wanting to have / get something

   • Jag vill ha kaffe. = I want coffee.
   • Jag vill ha en bok. = I want a book.

In Jag vill drömma på svenska, you are not wanting an object; you are wanting to do something (to dream), so you use just vill + drömma, not vill ha.

Why is it på svenska and not i svenska, like “in Swedish”?

When talking about languages as the medium of communication, Swedish regularly uses på:

• prata på svenska = speak in Swedish
• skriva på engelska = write in English
• läsa på franska = read in French
• drömma på svenska = dream in Swedish

So på is the normal preposition for “in (a language)”.

i svenska is not used for this meaning and sounds wrong to a native speaker in this context.

Why is svenska not capitalized, even though Swedish is in English?

In Swedish, names of languages are not capitalized:

• svenska = Swedish
• engelska = English
• tyska = German
• japanska = Japanese

So:

• Jag talar svenska. = I speak Swedish.
• Jag vill drömma på svenska. = I want to dream in Swedish.

This is a regular spelling rule in Swedish and not specific to this sentence.

Is svenska here a noun (the language) or an adjective?

In på svenska it functions like a noun meaning “(the) Swedish (language)”.

• As a language noun:
  
  • Svenska är svårt. = Swedish is hard.
  • Hon talar svenska. = She speaks Swedish.
  • Jag vill drömma på svenska. = I want to dream in Swedish.

svensk / svenska / svenskt / svenska can also be adjectives meaning Swedish (nationality):

• en svensk bil = a Swedish car
• en svensk tjej = a Swedish girl
• svenska böcker = Swedish books

So the form svenska can be both a noun (“Swedish (language)”) and an adjective form (“Swedish”), depending on context. Here it’s the language.

Can I change the word order and say Jag vill på svenska drömma?

Grammatically, Jag vill på svenska drömma is possible, but it sounds unusual and poetic/marked.

The neutral, natural word order is:

• Jag vill drömma på svenska.

Other variants for emphasis:

• På svenska vill jag drömma.
  (emphasis on på svenska – “In Swedish is how I want to dream.”)

For standard, everyday Swedish, keep:

• [Subject] Jag – [verb] vill – [main verb] drömma – [adverbial] på svenska

Could I leave out Jag and just say Vill drömma på svenska?

In written Swedish, you normally must include the subject pronoun:

• Jag vill drömma på svenska. ✅ standard and correct
• Vill drömma på svenska. ❌ incomplete in normal writing

In informal speech or texting, people sometimes omit the subject if it is totally clear from context, but this is very colloquial. For learners (and in most situations), always include Jag.

Does Jag vill drömma på svenska mean “I want to be able to dream in Swedish”?

It literally means:

• I want to dream in Swedish.

Context decides how it is understood:

• As a simple wish: you want your dreams to happen in Swedish.
• Very often, learners use it with the nuance “I want to (one day) be able to dream in Swedish”, i.e. dreaming naturally in Swedish when you sleep.

If you want to make the ability very explicit, you can say:

• Jag vill kunna drömma på svenska.
  = I want to be able to dream in Swedish.

How would I say “I am dreaming in Swedish” (right now), not “I want to dream”?

Then you use the present tense of drömma without vill:

• Jag drömmer på svenska.
  = I (am) dream(ing) in Swedish.

Compare:

• Jag drömmer på svenska. = I dream / I am dreaming in Swedish.
• Jag vill drömma på svenska. = I want to dream in Swedish.

How do you pronounce drömma, vill, and svenska?

Approximate guidance (not full IPA):

• drömma

  • drö-: the ö is like the vowel in British English “bird” or German ö in schön.
  • -mma: a short a (like “a” in “cup” but shorter) and a double m, making the vowel short.

• vill

  • Like English “vill” in “villain”, with a short i, not like “wheel”.

• svenska

  • sve-: sv together, then e like in “bed”.
  • -ns-: pronounced together, no extra vowel.
  • -ka: k is hard, like in “cat”, followed by a short a.

More exactly (IPA, if you know it):

• drömma ≈ [ˈdrœmːa]
• vill ≈ [vɪlː]
• svenska ≈ [ˈsvɛnːska]

Is Jag vill drömma på svenska formal, informal, or neutral?

It is neutral Swedish. You can use it in:

• casual conversation
• talking to friends or teachers
• writing (chat, messages, even essays if the context fits)

It is neither slangy nor especially formal.