Hon är fortfarande osäker, men hon försöker acceptera sitt val.

She is still uncertain, but she tries to accept her choice.

Breakdown of Hon är fortfarande osäker, men hon försöker acceptera sitt val.

• vara: to be
• hon: she
• försöka: to try
• men: but
• fortfarande: still
• sitt: her
• valet: the choice
• osäker: uncertain
• acceptera: to accept

Questions & Answers about Hon är fortfarande osäker, men hon försöker acceptera sitt val.

Why is it sitt val and not hennes val here?

In Swedish, sin/sitt/sina are reflexive possessive pronouns. They refer back to the subject of the same clause.

• sin – common gender singular
• sitt – neuter gender singular
• sina – plural

Val is a neuter noun (ett val), so we use sitt.

Hon försöker acceptera sitt val.
→ She is accepting her own choice.

If you said:

• Hon försöker acceptera hennes val.
  that would mean:
  → She is trying to accept another woman’s choice (someone else’s “her”).

So sitt val = her own choice; hennes val = some other woman’s choice (or at least not clearly her own in this sentence).

Why is it är fortfarande osäker and not är osäker fortfarande?

The most natural word order in Swedish is:

subject – verb – mid‑field (adverbs etc.) – rest

So:

• Hon är fortfarande osäker is the standard order.
• Hon är osäker fortfarande is possible but sounds marked, a bit poetic or emphatic.

In everyday speech and writing, adverbs like fortfarande (“still”) usually come right after the finite verb (är, har, kan, etc.):

• Hon är fortfarande trött. – She is still tired.
• Jag kan fortfarande komma. – I can still come.

What exactly does fortfarande mean here? Is it like “still” or “yet”?

Fortfarande usually corresponds to English “still” in the sense of continuing to be the case:

• Hon är fortfarande osäker.
  → She is still unsure.

It does not mean “yet” in the negative sense (“not yet” = inte än or inte ännu):

• Hon är inte säker än. – She is not sure yet.

Here, fortfarande emphasizes that her uncertainty continues up to now.

Why is there a comma before men? Is that always required?

In Swedish, when you join two main clauses with men (“but”), you normally use a comma before men:

• Hon är fortfarande osäker, men hon försöker acceptera sitt val.
  (Clause 1: Hon är fortfarande osäker.
  Clause 2: Hon försöker acceptera sitt val.)

So yes, in this kind of sentence, the comma is standard and expected.

If men introduces a small phrase rather than a full clause, you might not use a comma, e.g.:

• Det är svårt men viktigt. – It is difficult but important.

Could I drop the second hon and say: Hon är fortfarande osäker, men försöker acceptera sitt val?

Native speakers sometimes drop the repeated subject in casual speech, but in writing this is usually avoided and can feel incomplete or slightly clumsy.

Standard written Swedish prefers repeating the subject:

• Hon är fortfarande osäker, men hon försöker acceptera sitt val. ✅ (best)

Without hon, it’s not wrong in informal contexts, but for clear, correct Swedish, keep hon.

Why is there no att before acceptera? I thought Swedish uses att before infinitives.

Swedish often uses att before an infinitive, but not always. Certain verbs normally take an infinitive without att, and försöka (“to try”) is one of them.

• Hon försöker acceptera sitt val. ✅ (no att)
• Hon försöker att acceptera sitt val. ❌ (sounds wrong/foreign)

Other common verbs that skip att before another verb:

• kan, ska, vill, måste, bör, brukar:
  
  • Jag vill gå. – I want to go.
  • Vi ska äta. – We will eat.
  • Han brukar läsa. – He usually reads.

What’s the difference between försöker acceptera and just accepterar?

• accepterar = “accepts / is accepting” (simple statement of fact)
• försöker acceptera = “is trying to accept” (emphasizes effort or difficulty)

So:

• Hon accepterar sitt val.
  → She accepts her choice. (We present it as done.)

• Hon försöker acceptera sitt val.
  → She is trying to accept her choice. (She may not fully accept it yet; it’s a process or struggle.)

Does osäker only mean “unsure”, or can it also mean “insecure” in the emotional sense?

Osäker covers both “unsure” and “insecure”, depending on context.

• About a decision or fact:

  • Hon är osäker på sitt val. – She is unsure about her choice.
  • Jag är osäker på svaret. – I’m unsure of the answer.

• About a person’s self‑confidence:

  • Hon är osäker som person. – She is insecure as a person.

In your sentence, Hon är fortfarande osäker most naturally means she is unsure/in doubt about her decision, but it could also hint at emotional insecurity, depending on the wider context.

What does val mean here, and what gender is it?

Val here means “choice” or “decision”.

It is a neuter noun: ett val (plural val).

• ett val – a choice
• valet – the choice
• flera val – several choices
• alla valen – all the choices

That’s why the reflexive possessive is sitt (neuter singular): sitt val.

Note: val can also mean “election” in political contexts:

• riksdagsval – parliamentary election

Is the tense here present only, or can it also imply something like the English “she’s still unsure, but she’s trying to accept her choice (these days / nowadays)”?

The Swedish present tense often covers both English simple present and present continuous.

• Hon är fortfarande osäker, men hon försöker acceptera sitt val.

can mean:

• “She is still unsure, but she is trying to accept her choice.” (right now / over a period)
  or
• “She is still unsure, but she tries to accept her choice.” (more generic)

Context decides how you’d best translate it into English, but the Swedish form stays the same.

Could I move fortfarande and say Hon försöker fortfarande acceptera sitt val? Would that change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

• Hon försöker fortfarande acceptera sitt val.

This means:

• “She is still trying to accept her choice.”

The difference:

• Hon är fortfarande osäker, men hon försöker acceptera sitt val.
  → Focus: She is still unsure; despite that, she is trying to accept her choice.

• Hon försöker fortfarande acceptera sitt val.
  → Focus: The process of trying continues; she is still in the process of trying to accept it.

You can also combine them in a longer sentence, but that changes nuance and style.

How do you pronounce försöker and osäker? Any tips for an English speaker?

Approximate pronunciation (Stockholm standard):

• försöker: [fœˈʂøːkɛr]

  • för-: like French feu, a rounded “uh” sound [œ].
  • -sök-: long ö [øː], like French bleu.
  • -er: often just a light “e” + r, almost [ɛr] or even [e].

• osäker: [ˈuːsɛːkɛr]

  • o: long [uː], like “oo” in “food”.
  • sä: [sɛː], like “s” + “eh” but long.
  • ker: [kɛr].

Stress:

• förSÖker – main stress on -sö-
• O-säker – main stress on the first syllable o-

The ö in försöker doesn’t exist in English: round your lips as for “oo” but say “eh/uh”.