Jag måste starta datorn igen innan jag kan läsa mejlet.

Måste is the present tense of the verb måste / måste in modern Swedish usage, and it functions as a modal verb meaning must / have to.

In this sentence, Jag måste ... means I must / I have to ...

A useful thing to know:

• måste does not change form the way many other verbs do in the present tense.
• In everyday Swedish, you will most often see:
  • jag måste = I must
  • jag måste starta = I must start

Swedish verbs do not change depending on the subject, so:

• jag måste
• du måste
• han måste

all use the same verb form.

Because måste is a modal verb, and modal verbs in Swedish are followed by the bare infinitive.

So you say:

• Jag måste starta datorn
• Jag kan läsa mejlet

not:

• Jag måste att starta
• Jag kan att läsa

This is similar to English:

• I must start
• I can read

not:

• I must to start
• I can to read

Common Swedish modal verbs that work this way include:

• kan = can
• ska = will / shall / be going to
• vill = want to
• måste = must / have to
• bör = ought to / should

Yes, starta is a very natural verb here. It means to start, and with a computer it can mean:

• turn on
• boot up
• restart (depending on context)

In starta datorn igen, the idea is that the computer needs to be started again, so in natural English this could often be restart the computer.

Swedish alternatives exist depending on context:

• sätta på datorn = turn on the computer
• starta om datorn = restart the computer

But starta datorn igen is perfectly understandable and natural.

Because datorn means the computer.

In Swedish, the definite article is often added as an ending:

• en dator = a computer
• datorn = the computer

So:

• Jag måste starta datorn igen = I have to start the computer again

This is one of the most important patterns in Swedish:

• en bil → bilen
• en bok → boken
• en dator → datorn

Igen means again.

So:

• starta datorn igen = start the computer again

In context, this often suggests:

• the computer was already on before and needs to be started once more
• or it needs to be rebooted/restarted

Swedish often uses igen in very much the same way English uses again:

• försök igen = try again
• säg det igen = say it again

Because igen usually comes after the verb phrase or after the object in a sentence like this.

So:

• starta datorn igen is the natural order

This is similar to English:

• start the computer again

You would not usually put igen directly before datorn.

Swedish word order with adverbs can be tricky, but in this sentence the placement is very normal and idiomatic.

Because innan jag kan läsa mejlet is a new clause, and that clause needs its own subject.

Breakdown:

• Jag måste starta datorn igen = main clause
• innan jag kan läsa mejlet = subordinate clause

The second clause means:

• before I can read the email

Since I am also the subject of can read, Swedish includes jag again.

This is the same idea as in English:

• I have to restart the computer before I can read the email

You also repeat I in English.

Because innan introduces a subordinate clause, and subordinate clauses in Swedish do not use the main-clause V2 word order.

So after innan, the normal order is:

• subject + finite verb + infinitive
• jag kan läsa

That gives:

• innan jag kan läsa mejlet

Compare:

Main clause:

• Jag kan läsa mejlet nu.

Subordinate clause:

• ... innan jag kan läsa mejlet

This is a key Swedish grammar point:

• Main clauses often follow verb-second word order.
• Subordinate clauses usually keep the subject before the finite verb.

Kan means can / am able to, so it adds the idea of possibility or ability.

• innan jag kan läsa mejlet = before I can read the email

This suggests that reading the email is not possible until the computer has been started.

If you said:

• innan jag läser mejlet

that would mean more like:

• before I read the email

That is a different nuance. It refers more to the time before the action happens, not to the ability to do it.

So kan is important here because it shows that starting the computer is a necessary condition.

Mejlet means the email.

It comes from:

• mejl = email
• mejlet = the email

This spelling is common in Swedish because it reflects Swedish pronunciation. You may also come across:

• mail
• mailet

But mejl is a very standard modern Swedish spelling.

So:

• ett mejl = an email
• mejlet = the email

Notice that this is a t-word:

• ett mejl
• mejlet

Yes. Läsa mejlet is completely natural and means read the email.

Swedish uses läsa very much like English read:

• läsa en bok = read a book
• läsa tidningen = read the newspaper
• läsa mejlet = read the email

If you mean email in the general sense, you might also hear:

• läsa mejl = read emails / check email

But for one specific message:

• läsa mejlet = read the email

Yes, depending on context, that is often the most natural English interpretation.

Literally:

• Jag måste starta datorn igen = I must start the computer again

But in real usage, English speakers may very naturally say:

• I need to restart the computer
• I have to reboot the computer

especially if the computer was already on and something went wrong.

So the Swedish wording is flexible, and the exact English choice depends on the situation.

They do different jobs:

• måste expresses necessity
• kan expresses ability / possibility

So:

• Jag måste starta datorn igen = I have to restart the computer
• innan jag kan läsa mejlet = before I am able to read the email

The sentence structure shows cause and result:

1. restarting the computer is necessary
2. only after that is reading the email possible

That is why both modal verbs appear in the same sentence.