Breakdown of Anna påstår att hon är nyfiken på skvallret.
vara
to be
hon
she
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
Anna
Anna
att
that
påstå
to claim
nyfiken
curious
skvallret
the gossip
Questions & Answers about Anna påstår att hon är nyfiken på skvallret.
How does the pronoun shift work here to make this indirect speech?
If we used direct speech (a direct quote), Anna's exact words would be Jag är nyfiken... (I am curious...). Because we are reporting what she said using the word att (that), we have to shift the pronoun from jag (I) to hon (she) so it makes sense from our perspective.
Why do we use på after nyfiken when the English translation says 'about'?
In Swedish, the adjective nyfiken (curious) is heavily tied to the preposition på. While English speakers are curious 'about' something, Swedish speakers are always curious 'on' (på) it.
What kind of verb is påstår?
It means 'claims' or 'asserts', from the infinitive att påstå. It is built from på (on) and stå (stand) — you can think of it as 'standing on' your statement! Because stå is an irregular verb (present tense står), påstå follows the exact same irregular pattern (påstår).
Why is the definite form spelled skvallret instead of 'skvalleret'?
The base word is ett skvaller (gossip). When you make an ett word that ends in -el, -er, or -en definite (meaning 'the gossip'), you usually drop the final e before adding the -et ending. This makes it skvallret, which is much easier to pronounce than 'skvalleret'.
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