Questions & Answers about Vi kan inte skriva under avtalet.
Why does inte come between kan and skriva?
In Swedish main clauses, the word inte (not) comes right after the first verb. Because kan is the first verb (the auxiliary), inte goes immediately after it, pushing the main verb skriva further back in the sentence.
Why is the phrase skriva under used for "sign"?
Skriva under is a particle verb that literally translates to "write under", which makes sense if you think about signing at the bottom of a document. When speaking, you put the emphasis on the word under.
Can I split the verb and say skriva avtalet under instead?
No. In Swedish, the particle (under) must stay right after the verb (skriva) and comes before the object (avtalet). You cannot put the object in the middle like you sometimes can with phrasal verbs in English.
Why isn't there an att (to) before skriva?
Just like in English where we say "cannot sign" instead of "cannot to sign", Swedish modal verbs like kan (can), vill (want to), and måste (must) are followed directly by the infinitive form of the main verb without att.