Questions & Answers about Jag måste skynda mig.
Why is mig in this sentence when the English translation is just 'I must hurry'?
In Swedish, the verb for 'to hurry' is reflexive: att skynda sig. This means you literally have to say 'I must hurry myself'. Many common actions are reflexive in Swedish even if they aren't in English.
If the standard dictionary form is skynda sig, why does this sentence use mig?
The reflexive pronoun always has to match the person doing the action. Since the subject is jag (I), the reflexive pronoun changes to mig (myself). If the subject were han (he) or hon (she), it would be Han måste skynda sig or Hon måste skynda sig.
Why is the verb skynda and not skyndar?
Because it comes right after måste (must). Måste is a modal verb. Just like in English, the main verb that follows a modal verb is always in the infinitive (the basic dictionary form), so we use skynda instead of the present tense skyndar.
Is it okay to say jag måste att skynda mig?
No, you should drop the att (to). Modal verbs like måste connect directly to the next verb. This works exactly like English: we say 'I must hurry', never 'I must to hurry'.
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