Breakdown of Hjälmen är obligatorisk, så du får inte ta av dig den.
vara
to be
du
you (singular)
den
it (common)
inte
not
få
to be allowed to, may
så
so
ta av sig
to take off (clothes)
hjälmen
the helmet
obligatorisk
mandatory
Questions & Answers about Hjälmen är obligatorisk, så du får inte ta av dig den.
Why does the Swedish say får inte for "must not"? Shouldn't it be måste inte?
This is a huge trap for English speakers! In Swedish, måste inte means "don't have to" (just like behöver inte). To express a strict prohibition ("must not" or "are not allowed to"), you use får inte. Since taking the helmet off is forbidden, får inte is the correct choice here.
Why is there a dig in ta av dig?
When you talk about taking off clothing or accessories from your own body, Swedish uses the reflexive verb ta av sig (literally "take off oneself"). Since the subject is du (you), the reflexive pronoun becomes dig. Without dig, ta av would just mean "take off" in a general sense, like taking a lid off a jar.
What does den at the very end of the sentence refer to?
den means "it" and refers back to hjälmen (the helmet). Because hjälm is an en-word, we must use the en-word pronoun den instead of det.
Why is it obligatorisk and not obligatoriskt?
Adjectives have to agree with the noun they describe. Because hjälmen is an en-word, the adjective takes the base form obligatorisk. If it were an ett-word, like bältet (the belt), it would be bältet är obligatoriskt.
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