To negate an infinitive verb in Swedish, place inte directly between the infinitive marker att and the verb. This creates the structure att inte [verb].
| The intention was not to wake the little girl. | Avsikten var att inte väcka den lilla flickan. |
Other Sentence Adverbs
This rule applies to all sentence adverbs. For example, aldrig (never) is placed exactly the same way: directly after att and before the infinitive.
| You must promise to never slam the door. | Du måste lova att aldrig smälla i dörren. |
Expressing Purpose: "För att inte"
When using för att (in order to) to express purpose, the same word order applies. The adverb goes after att and before the verb.
| The boy walked slowly in order not to seem clumsy. | Pojken gick långsamt för att inte verka klumpig. |
| They make an effort not to disturb their neighbors. | De anstränger sig för att inte störa sina grannar. |
Multiple Adverbs
If you need to use more than one adverb—such as inte (not) and avsiktligt (intentionally)—they stack together between att and the verb.
| It is difficult not to intentionally ignore her. | Det är svårt att inte avsiktligt ignorera henne. |
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