Breakdown of Chefen har inte rätten att läsa ens post.
inte
not
läsa
to read
ha
to have
att
to
chefen
the boss
ens
one's
rätten
the right
posten
the mail
Questions & Answers about Chefen har inte rätten att läsa ens post.
How does the word ens work in this sentence?
ens is the possessive form of the generic pronoun man (which means 'one' or 'you' in a general sense). Just like 'one' becomes 'one's' in English, man becomes ens to show that something belongs to that general person. Here, it translates to 'one's mail'.
Why is the word for mail written as post instead of the definite form posten?
In Swedish, a noun that comes directly after a possessive word like ens (one's), min (my), or deras (their) must always be in the indefinite form. Even though we are talking about a specific concept, after ens it must be the base form post.
Why does the sentence use rätten instead of en rätt?
rätten is the definite form of the en-word en rätt (a right). Just like in English where we say someone has 'the right' to do something rather than 'a right', Swedish uses the definite form rätten here.
What is the purpose of att before läsa?
att is the infinitive marker, working exactly like 'to' in the English phrase 'to read'. It connects the noun rätten (the right) to the base form of the verb läsa (read), creating the phrase rätten att läsa (the right to read).
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