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Hon säger att utbildningen börjar i höst.

Hon säger att utbildningen börjar i höst.
She says that the education starts in the autumn.
FromLesson 28inHardcore Swedish
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Breakdown of Hon säger att utbildningen börjar i höst.

i
in
hon
she
att
that
börja
to start
säga
to say
hösten
the autumn
utbildningen
the education
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Questions & Answers about Hon säger att utbildningen börjar i höst.

Why is it Hon and not Hon är at the start? Don’t Swedish sentences need a verb in second position?

They do: Swedish is generally V2 (the finite verb is the second “slot” in main clauses). Here, the finite verb is säger (says), so the structure is:

  • Hon (subject) + säger (finite verb) + att … (content clause)

So the verb is already in the right place: Hon säger ….

What does att do here? Is it like English that?

Yes. att introduces a subordinate clause (a content clause) after verbs like säga, tro, veta, etc.

  • Hon säger att … = She says (that) …

In Swedish, att is often used more regularly than English that, though it can sometimes be omitted in casual speech.

Why is the word order utbildningen börjar in the second part? I thought Swedish had strict word order rules.

It does, and this is exactly one of them: inside a subordinate clause (after att), Swedish uses the “normal” order subject before verb:

  • att utbildningen börjar …

If you moved something to the front inside that subordinate clause, you still keep the verb after the subject (and you place adverbs like inte before the verb).

Where would inte go if I wanted to negate the second clause?

In a subordinate clause, inte usually comes before the finite verb:

  • Hon säger att utbildningen inte börjar i höst.

In a main clause, inte typically comes after the finite verb:

  • Hon säger inte att utbildningen börjar i höst. (That one means she doesn’t say it / she is not saying that.)
Why is it utbildningen with -en at the end?

That’s the definite form of utbildning (education / a program / the program).

  • en utbildning = an education / a program (indefinite)
  • utbildningen = the education / the program (definite)

Swedish often uses the definite form where English might use the, a possessive, or context.

Does utbildningen mean “education” in general or a specific program?

It can mean either in different contexts, but with the definite form utbildningen, it very often refers to a specific course/program/training that both speaker and listener know about (or that has just been mentioned).

Why is börjar in the present tense if it’s talking about the future?

Swedish commonly uses the present tense for scheduled or planned future events, especially with a time expression:

  • börjar i höst = starts this autumn

English does this too sometimes (e.g., It starts next week).

What’s the difference between i höst and på hösten?
  • i höst = this coming autumn / in the autumn (referring to a specific autumn, usually the upcoming one)
  • på hösten = in autumn (general/habitual, like “in the autumn (season),” often implying every year)

So i höst fits a one-time start date.

Why is it i höst (in autumn) and not på höst?

With seasons, Swedish commonly uses:

  • i
    • season for a specific time period: i höst, i vinter, i vår, i sommar
  • på is used more with parts of the day or certain recurring time frames: på morgonen, på kvällen, på helgen (variation exists)

So i höst is the standard choice here.

How is säger att pronounced and does it sound different in fast speech?

A careful, common pronunciation is roughly:

  • säger ≈ SEH-yer (with a Swedish ä sound)
  • att often sounds like a short at

In faster speech, att may be reduced, and the phrase can run together: sägeratt (still written as two words).