Breakdown of Hon är ensam och vill inte berätta sanningen om spöket.
vara
to be
hon
she
och
and
inte
not
vilja
to want to
berätta
to tell
om
about
ensam
alone
sanningen
the truth
spöket
the ghost
Questions & Answers about Hon är ensam och vill inte berätta sanningen om spöket.
Why does inte come right after vill instead of before it?
In a standard Swedish main clause, the negative word inte always goes immediately after the first verb. Because vill (wants) is the first verb, inte follows it directly, pushing the second verb berätta (to tell) to the end of the verb group.
How is the word sanningen built?
It starts with the adjective sann (true). By adding the suffix -ing, it becomes the noun en sanning (a truth). To say 'the truth', you add the definite ending -en to get sanningen.
Does om mean 'if' or 'about' here?
It means 'about'! While om often translates to 'if' (like in om det regnar - if it rains), it is also the standard preposition for 'about' when you communicate, think, or hear a story about a topic.
Why does spöket end in -t?
The word for ghost is an ett-word that ends in a vowel (ett spöke). To make ett-words definite (the ghost), you just add a -t to the end, giving you spöket.
We are learning the past tense (preteritum). How would we write this sentence in the past tense?
You change the first verb in each clause. är (is) becomes var (was), and vill (wants) becomes ville (wanted). The second verb berätta stays in its infinitive form. So the past tense version is: Hon var ensam och ville inte berätta sanningen om spöket.
Learn Hon är ensam och vill inte berätta sanningen om spöket and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free