Breakdown of Hon orkar städa både köket och badrummet.
hon
she
och
and
städa
to clean (a room, a house)
köket
the kitchen
både
both
badrummet
the bathroom
orka
to have the energy to
Questions & Answers about Hon orkar städa både köket och badrummet.
Why isn't there an att (to) before städa?
Orkar is a modal-like verb meaning 'to have the energy to' or 'to have the strength to'. Just like the regular modal verbs you have learned (such as kan or vill), it connects directly to the infinitive of the next verb without using att.
Does orkar mean she has the time to clean, or just the energy?
It specifically means she has the physical or mental energy to do it. If you wanted to say she has the time to clean, you would use a different modal-like verb from this lesson: hinner (Hon hinner städa).
How does the phrase både ... och work here?
Både X och Y is a fixed phrase that translates to 'both X and Y'. Here, it links the two rooms she is cleaning: både köket och badrummet (both the kitchen and the bathroom).
Why do both kök and badrum end with -et?
Both kök (kitchen) and badrum (bathroom) are ett-words. To say 'the kitchen' and 'the bathroom', you add the definite suffix -et. Notice that Swedish keeps the definite suffix on both nouns, even though in English we might just say 'the kitchen and bathroom'.
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