Breakdown of Chefen säger att ryktet inte är sant, utan falskt.
vara
to be
inte
not
chefen
the boss
säga
to say
att
that
ryktet
the rumor
falsk
false
utan
but rather
sann
true
Questions & Answers about Chefen säger att ryktet inte är sant, utan falskt.
Why do we use utan here instead of men for 'but'?
You use utan (meaning 'but rather' or 'but instead') to correct a negative statement. Since the first part says the rumor is inte (not) true, we must use utan to introduce the actual truth. If there was no negative word to correct, you would use men.
Why does inte come before är instead of after it?
Because att ryktet inte är sant is a subordinate clause (a sentence embedded inside the main sentence, starting with att). In a normal main clause, you would say ryktet är inte sant. But in a subordinate clause, adverbs like inte must jump before the verb. Teachers often call this the BIFF rule!
Why do the words for true and false (sant and falskt) end in a 't' here?
They are describing ryktet (the rumor). The base word is ett rykte, which is an ett-word. Therefore, the adjectives describing it must take the neuter form, which usually means adding a -t to the end.
The base word for 'true' is sann. Why isn't it spelled sannt?
Swedish spelling rules generally do not allow a double consonant right before a -t ending in adjectives. So, the double 'n' in sann is simplified to a single 'n' when it becomes sant.
Learn Chefen säger att ryktet inte är sant, utan falskt 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