Breakdown of Man kan inte se planeten med teleskopet förrän på natten.
inte
not
kunna
to be able to, can
se
to see
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
med
with
man
one, you (people in general)
natten
the night
förrän
until (in negative sentences)
planeten
the planet
teleskopet
the telescope
Questions & Answers about Man kan inte se planeten med teleskopet förrän på natten.
Why does this sentence use förrän for "until" instead of tills?
In Swedish, you must use förrän when the main part of the sentence is negative. Because this sentence has inte (not) earlier on, we use förrän. If the sentence were positive, you would use tills.
What exactly does förrän på natten mean, and why is the på needed?
It translates literally to "until at night". While English often just says "until night", Swedish keeps the full time expression på natten (at night) right after förrän.
Why are planeten, teleskopet, and natten all in their definite forms here?
We use planeten (the planet) and teleskopet (the telescope) because they refer to specific things. Natten is definite because Swedish time phrases like "at night" generally require the definite form, making it på natten.
Does man mean "a man" in this sentence?
No, here man is a general pronoun meaning "one", "you", or "people". So the sentence means "One cannot see..." or "You cannot see...". To say "A man cannot see", you would need to use en man.
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