Kan du stänga grinden när du går ut, så att hunden inte springer mot staketet?

Kan du ... ? literally means Can you ... ?, but in Swedish it is very commonly used to make a request in a polite, natural way.

So:

• Kan du stänga grinden? = Can you close the gate? / Could you close the gate?
• Stäng grinden! = Close the gate!

The imperative is not always rude, but kan du usually sounds softer and more everyday.

Because kan is a modal verb, and after modal verbs in Swedish, you normally use the infinitive without att.

So:

• kan stänga = can close
• not kan stänger

Compare:

• Jag kan simma = I can swim
• Du kan läsa = You can read

This is similar to English: after can, you also use the base form, not closes or closing.

Grinden is the definite form: the gate.

• en grind = a gate
• grinden = the gate

Swedish usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

Here, grinden is used because it means a specific gate that both speaker and listener know about.

This is a common Swedish verb-particle combination: gå ut = go out.

In many Swedish main and subordinate clauses, the particle stays separate from the verb:

• Jag går ut = I go out
• När du går ut = When you go out

So går ut works much like English go out.

If you use the infinitive, it looks like this:

• att gå ut = to go out

So yes, gå ut is one unit in meaning, even though it is written as two words.

Because när du går ut is a subordinate clause: when you go out.

In Swedish subordinate clauses, the subject usually comes before the verb:

• när du går ut
• om han kommer
• att hon bor här

By contrast, När går du ut? is a direct question: When are you going out?

So:

• när du går ut = subordinate clause
• När går du ut? = question

Here så att means so that.

It introduces a purpose or intended result:

• ... så att hunden inte springer mot staketet
• ... so that the dog doesn’t run toward the fence

This is a very common structure in Swedish.

For example:

• Jag viskar så att barnet inte vaknar = I whisper so that the child doesn’t wake up

So in this sentence, the gate should be closed for a reason: to prevent the dog from running toward the fence.

Because this is a subordinate clause, and in Swedish subordinate clauses, sentence adverbs like inte usually come before the finite verb.

So:

• så att hunden inte springer
  = so that the dog does not run

Compare this with a main clause:

• Hunden springer inte = The dog is not running

So the position of inte changes depending on clause type:

• main clause: verb + inte
• subordinate clause: inte
  • verb

This is one of the most important Swedish word-order patterns to learn.

Hunden means the dog, while en hund means a dog.

• en hund = a dog
• hunden = the dog

The definite form is used because the speaker means a specific dog that is already known in the situation.

This is very natural in Swedish. If there is only one relevant dog, hunden is the normal choice.

Mot usually means toward, against, or in the direction of.

So springer mot staketet means the dog runs toward the fence or at the fence. It does not necessarily mean the dog actually crashes into it, but it suggests movement in that direction.

• mot staketet = toward the fence
• in i staketet would suggest running into the fence

So mot is a bit less direct than into.

Staketet is the definite form of ett staket (a fence).

• ett staket = a fence
• staketet = the fence

This noun is a t-word noun (ett noun), so its definite singular ending is -et.

Compare:

• ett hus → huset
• ett bord → bordet
• ett staket → staketet

In modern Swedish, commas are used less strictly than in English, but a comma here is very common and helps readability.

So both of these may be seen:

• Kan du stänga grinden när du går ut så att hunden inte springer mot staketet?
• Kan du stänga grinden när du går ut, så att hunden inte springer mot staketet?

The comma helps show that the last part gives the reason or purpose. It is especially useful in a longer sentence like this one.

Yes, but it changes the meaning slightly.

• när du går ut = when you go out
• innan du går ut = before you go out

So:

• Kan du stänga grinden när du går ut ...
  means closing the gate as part of going out / at the time you go out.

• Kan du stänga grinden innan du går ut ...
  means the gate should be closed before you go out.

Both are possible in real life, but they are not exactly the same.

Yes, it sounds natural and idiomatic.

It has several very common Swedish patterns:

• Kan du ... ? for a polite request
• definite nouns like grinden, hunden, staketet
• the particle verb gå ut
• så att to express purpose
• subordinate clause word order with inte springer

So this is a good example of normal spoken and written Swedish.