Breakdown of Jag vet att tysken inte är konsult.
jag
I
vara
to be
inte
not
veta
to know (facts, information)
att
that
tysken
the German
konsulten
the consultant
Questions & Answers about Jag vet att tysken inte är konsult.
Why is there no Swedish word for "a" before konsult?
In Swedish, you drop the indefinite article (en or ett) when stating someone's profession, nationality, or affiliation using the verb är (is). Because being a konsult (consultant) is a profession, we just say är konsult instead of är en konsult.
Why is inte placed before the verb är here?
This happens because att tysken inte är konsult is a subordinate clause (a dependent clause introduced by att). In Swedish subordinate clauses, adverbs like inte must be placed before the finite (conjugated) verb. This is often taught as the BIFF rule. If it were a normal main clause, it would use standard word order: Tysken är inte konsult.
Why does the sentence use tysken instead of den tyska for "the German"?
Tysken is the definite form of the noun en tysk (a German). In English, "German" can be an adjective or a noun, but Swedish distinguishes them clearly. If you wanted to use the adjective, you would have to add a noun, like den tyska mannen (the German man). Using the noun tysken is much more concise and natural here.
Can I skip the word att just like we often skip "that" in English?
While you can sometimes drop att in casual spoken Swedish, it is generally much better to keep it. In Swedish, att acts as an important signpost that triggers the special subordinate clause word order (like moving inte before the verb), making the sentence much easier to follow.
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