Hinner du läsa boken före mötet?

you

Breakdown of Hinner du läsa boken före mötet?

• läsa: to read
• boken: the book
• mötet: the meeting

Questions & Answers about Hinner du läsa boken före mötet?

What does hinner mean here, and why isn’t it just a word for read or have time?

Hinner comes from the verb hinna, which means something like to have enough time to do something or to manage to do something before it’s too late.

So Hinner du läsa boken före mötet? is not just asking whether you have time in a general sense. It asks whether you will be able to fit in reading the book before the meeting.

A useful comparison:

• Har du tid att läsa boken? = Do you have time to read the book?
• Hinner du läsa boken före mötet? = Will you manage to read the book before the meeting?

The second one often suggests a deadline or time pressure.

Why is the sentence written as Hinner du... instead of Du hinner...?

In Swedish, yes/no questions usually start with the verb, followed by the subject.

So:

• Du hinner läsa boken. = You will manage to read the book.
• Hinner du läsa boken? = Will you manage to read the book?

This is very common in Swedish question formation. English often uses do or changes auxiliary verbs, but Swedish usually just puts the verb first.

Why is läsa in the infinitive form?