Word
Katten försöker inte att sova.
Meaning
The cat does not try to sleep.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Katten försöker inte att sova.
Why do we need the word att before sova?
The word att is the Swedish infinitive marker. It works exactly like the word "to" in the English phrase "to sleep", linking the main verb (försöker) to the secondary action (sova).
How can I tell that sova is in the infinitive form?
The infinitive is the basic, unconjugated dictionary form of a verb. In Swedish, this form almost always ends in the letter -a. You use this base form after the infinitive marker att.
Why doesn't the first verb, försöker, end in -a like sova does?
The first verb is the main action of the sentence, so it must be conjugated in the present tense to show what the cat is currently doing. When you chain verbs together, only the second verb (sova) takes the basic infinitive form.
Why does inte go between försöker and att sova?
In a standard Swedish sentence, the word inte (not) usually goes directly after the first, conjugated verb. Therefore, it sits right after försöker and before the infinitive phrase att sova.