Breakdown of Han lär barnen att simma.
barnet
the child
att
to
simma
to swim
lära
to teach (lära sig = to learn)
Questions & Answers about Han lär barnen att simma.
Doesn't lär usually mean "learn"? How do we know it means "teaches" here?
The verb att lära is tricky because it can mean both "to teach" and "to learn"! However, when it means "to learn", it is reflexive (used with a pronoun like sig). Since there is no reflexive pronoun here, and he is doing the action to barnen, it means "teaches". If he were learning to swim himself, it would be Han lär sig att simma.
Why is "the children" barnen? Doesn't the -en ending usually mean it's singular?
For most en-words, adding -en makes them singular definite (like bilen for "the car"). But barn is an ett-word, and its plural form doesn't change (ett barn, flera barn). For ett-words that end in a consonant, the definite plural ("the [things]") is formed by adding -en. Therefore, barnen translates to "the children", not "the child" (which would be barnet).
Why do we need the word att before simma?
In Swedish, att is the infinitive marker, just like the word "to" in the English phrase "to swim". You generally use it when one verb follows another, unless the first verb is a modal verb (like kan, vill, or måste). Since lär is not a modal verb, we need att before the infinitive verb simma.
Could I use the verb undervisar instead of lär for teaching here?
It would sound a bit strange here. The verb undervisar also means "teaches", but it is usually reserved for formal subjects in a classroom setting, like math or history. For teaching a practical, physical skill like swimming or riding a bike, lär is the correct verb to use.
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