Kan vi sätta oss i vardagsrummet och prata?

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Breakdown of Kan vi sätta oss i vardagsrummet och prata?

• i: in
• kunna: be able to
• vi: we

Questions & Answers about Kan vi sätta oss i vardagsrummet och prata?

Why does the sentence start with Kan vi?

Kan vi literally means can we.

In Swedish, yes/no questions are usually formed by putting the verb first, so:

• Vi kan ... = We can ...
• Kan vi ...? = Can we ...?

In this sentence, Kan vi ...? is not only about ability. Very often, it is used to make a suggestion, similar to:

• Can we ...?
• Could we ...?
• Shall we ...? (depending on context)

So here it sounds like a natural suggestion or request.

Why is it sätta oss and not sitta?

This is a very common Swedish distinction.

• sitta = to be sitting
• sätta sig = to sit down

So:

• Vi sitter i vardagsrummet. = We are sitting in the living room.
• Vi sätter oss i vardagsrummet. = We sit down in the living room.

In your sentence, the idea is let’s go and sit down in the living room, not just let’s be sitting there. That is why Swedish uses sätta oss.

Why is oss included after sätta?