Breakdown of Familjen vill bo på landet.
familjen
the family
bo
to live
vilja
to want to
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
landet
the countryside
Questions & Answers about Familjen vill bo på landet.
Why do we use på here instead of i, if the English translation is "in the countryside"?
In Swedish, you generally use på (on) when talking about the countryside, islands, and certain public places. You can think of it as living "out on the land" rather than being enclosed inside a specific boundary.
Doesn't landet mean "the country" (as in a nation)? How do we know it means "the countryside" here?
You are right that ett land means a nation. However, på landet is a fixed phrase that specifically means "in the country" or "in the countryside". You can easily tell which meaning is intended based on the context.
Why is there no word for "to" between vill and bo?
Vill (wants to) is a helper verb. In Swedish, helper verbs are followed directly by the base form (infinitive) of the next verb. You do not use the word att (to) between them, just like how you don't say "must to go" in English.
Why does the sentence start with Familjen instead of just Familj?
Familjen means "the family". Instead of using a separate word for "the", Swedish attaches it to the end of the noun. Because familj is an "en" word, we add -en to the end to make it specific.
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