Breakdown of Vi vet inte den exakta tiden för mötet ännu.
Questions & Answers about Vi vet inte den exakta tiden för mötet ännu.
Why is inte after vet instead of before it?
Because in a normal Swedish main clause, the finite verb usually comes before sentence adverbs like inte.
So:
- Vi vet inte ... = correct
- Vi inte vet ... = not normal in a main clause
This is a very common Swedish word-order pattern. English says do not know, but Swedish puts inte after the verb:
- Jag kommer inte. = I am not coming.
- Hon bor inte här. = She does not live here.
Why is it den exakta tiden and not just exakt tid?
Because the sentence refers to a specific time: the exact time, not just exact time in a general sense.
Swedish often uses a definite structure when English uses the:
- den exakta tiden = the exact time
If you said exakt tid, that would sound more like exact time as a general concept, not a specific known item.
Why is it den exakta tiden with both den and -en? Isn’t that like saying the twice?
Yes, in a way it is — and that is normal in Swedish. This is called double definiteness.
When a noun is definite and has an adjective before it, Swedish usually marks definiteness twice:
- with a separate word: den
- and with the definite ending on the noun: -en
So:
- tiden = the time
- den exakta tiden = the exact time
You cannot normally say exakta tiden by itself here, and den exakta tid is also wrong.
Why is it exakta and not exakt?
Because the adjective is modifying a definite noun phrase: den ... tiden.
Compare:
- en exakt tid = an exact time
- den exakta tiden = the exact time
In Swedish, adjectives change form depending on whether the noun is indefinite, definite, singular, plural, and sometimes gender. In a definite phrase like this one, the adjective usually takes -a:
- den stora bilen = the big car
- det stora huset = the big house
- de stora bilarna = the big cars
So exakta is the correct definite form.
Why is tiden ending in -en?
Because tid is a common-gender noun and here it is definite.
- tid = time
- tiden = the time
For many common-gender nouns, the definite singular ending is -en.
Examples:
- bok → boken
- bil → bilen
- tid → tiden
So tiden simply means the time.
Why is it för mötet?
Here för means for in the sense of for the meeting or connected with the meeting.
So:
- tiden för mötet = the time for the meeting
This is a natural Swedish way to express it. In English, you might also say the time of the meeting, but Swedish commonly uses för in this kind of phrase.
Why is mötet definite?
Because it refers to a specific meeting, not just any meeting.
- möte = meeting
- mötet = the meeting
So:
- för mötet = for the meeting
If you said för ett möte, that would mean for a meeting, which is less specific.
What does ännu mean here?
Here ännu means yet.
So:
- Vi vet inte ... ännu. = We don’t know ... yet.
It shows that the situation may change later. Right now the exact time is unknown, but maybe it will be known later.
A few related words:
- ännu = yet / still, depending on context
- redan = already
Examples:
- Jag har inte ätit ännu. = I haven’t eaten yet.
- Hon är ännu hemma. = She is still at home.
Why is ännu at the end of the sentence?
Because that is a very natural position for yet in Swedish.
- Vi vet inte den exakta tiden för mötet ännu.
This sounds completely normal. You may also see ännu in other positions, but the final position is especially common when it means yet.
For example:
- Vi vet ännu inte den exakta tiden för mötet.
This is also possible, but the version with ännu at the end is often simpler and more natural for learners to recognize.
Could you also say Vi känner inte till den exakta tiden?
Yes, you could, but it is slightly different in tone.
- vi vet inte = we do not know
- vi känner inte till = we are not familiar with / we do not know about
In this sentence, vi vet inte is the most straightforward and natural choice. Känner till is often used more for being aware of information or knowing about something.
So vi vet inte den exakta tiden is the best basic version here.
What is the basic structure of the whole sentence?
The sentence breaks down like this:
- Vi = we
- vet = know
- inte = not
- den exakta tiden = the exact time
- för mötet = for the meeting
- ännu = yet
So the structure is:
- subject: Vi
- verb: vet
- negation: inte
- object: den exakta tiden
- prepositional phrase: för mötet
- time-related adverb: ännu
This is a very typical Swedish sentence pattern.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning SwedishMaster Swedish — from Vi vet inte den exakta tiden för mötet ännu to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions