Log inSign up

Jag måste skynda mig, annars hinner jag inte med bussen.

Jag måste skynda mig, annars hinner jag inte med bussen.
I have to hurry, otherwise I won’t catch the bus.

Breakdown of Jag måste skynda mig, annars hinner jag inte med bussen.

jag
I
inte
not
mig
me
bussen
the bus
annars
otherwise
skynda
to hurry
hinna med
to catch
måste
have to
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Swedish grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Swedish now

Questions & Answers about Jag måste skynda mig, annars hinner jag inte med bussen.

Why is it Jag måste skynda mig and not Jag måste skynda?

Because skynda (sig) is very commonly used reflexively in Swedish when you mean to hurry (oneself) / to hurry up.

  • skynda mig = hurry up / hurry myself (natural everyday phrasing)
  • skynda without mig/sig can work, but it often feels more like hurry (something) along or sounds less idiomatic in this context.
    You’ll also see: Skynda dig! = Hurry up!
What exactly does mig mean here, and why is it mig (not jag)?

mig is the object form of jag (like me vs I). In reflexive verbs, Swedish uses the object form:

  • jag → mig
  • du → dig
  • han → sig (reflexive for he/she/they in many cases)
    So Jag måste skynda mig literally corresponds to I must hurry myself.
What’s the role of the comma, and can I leave it out?
The comma separates two clauses: Jag måste skynda mig + annars hinner jag inte med bussen. It’s standard and recommended, especially because annars introduces a consequence (otherwise). In informal writing you might see it without a comma, but the comma is the safe choice.
Why is the word order annars hinner jag inte... and not annars jag hinner inte...?

Because annars is an adverb placed first, and Swedish uses V2 word order in main clauses: the finite verb comes in the second position.
So:

  • Annars (position 1)
  • hinner (finite verb, position 2)
  • jag (subject after the verb)
    This pattern is very common: Idag går jag..., Sen kommer vi..., Om en stund måste jag...
What does hinner mean, and why is it used instead of a verb meaning “can”?

hinna is about having enough time to do something—to manage in time / to make it. It’s not about ability or permission.

  • Jag hinner inte = I won’t have time / I won’t make it in time
    Compared with:
  • Jag kan inte = I can’t (ability/permission)
Why is inte placed after jag: hinner jag inte?

In Swedish main clauses, inte usually comes after the finite verb and (often) after the subject when the verb has moved to the second position (V2).
Pattern here: annars + hinner + jag + inte.
If there’s no fronting, you’d get: Jag hinner inte...

What does hinna med mean as a phrase, and what does med add?

hinna med is a very common expression meaning to manage to catch up with / to make / to keep up with / to get (something) done in time depending on context. Here it’s about catching the bus:

  • hinna med bussen ≈ make/catch the bus (in time)
    The med is part of the fixed phrase; you can’t generally drop it in this meaning.
Is hinna med bussen the most natural way to say “catch the bus,” or are there alternatives?

It’s natural, especially when emphasizing time pressure. Other common options are:

  • hinna med bussen = manage to catch the bus (in time)
  • hinna till bussen = make it to the bus (in time)
  • hinna med att ta bussen = have time to take the bus
  • jag missar bussen = I’ll miss the bus (result-focused)
Why is it bussen and not en buss?

Swedish often uses the definite form when referring to a specific, understood thing (like the bus I’m trying to catch).

  • bussen = the bus (the one that matters right now)
    You could say en buss if you mean a bus (any bus), but with commuting it’s usually bussen.
How would you pronounce the tricky parts, especially skynda mig and hinner?

Approximate pronunciation (varies by region):

  • skynda ≈ SHIN-da (with Swedish y: a front rounded vowel, not English “i”)
  • mig often sounds like may in many accents (not like English “mig”)
  • hinner ≈ HIN-ner (short vowel)
    Also, Swedish has sentence melody (pitch accent), so it will sound more “sing-song” than English.
Could I swap annars with something else like så or för annars?

Yes, with slightly different nuance:

  • ..., annars ... = ..., otherwise ... (very direct)
  • ..., för annars ... = ..., because otherwise ... (adds an explicit reason)
  • ..., annars så ... can occur in speech, but annars alone is usually enough here.