Breakdown of Du får inte ta av dig skyddsglasögonen!
du
you (singular)
inte
not
få
to be allowed to, may
ta av sig
to take off (clothes)
skyddsglasögonen
the safety glasses
Questions & Answers about Du får inte ta av dig skyddsglasögonen!
Why does får inte mean "must not" here?
Får inte is the standard way to express a strict prohibition in Swedish, translating to "must not" or "are not allowed to". This contrasts with the current lesson's focus, behöver inte, which means lack of necessity. If the sentence was Du behöver inte ta av dig skyddsglasögonen, it would mean you don't have to take them off, but you can if you want to.
Why is the word dig included when the sentence already says "take off"?
In Swedish, putting on or taking off clothing and accessories is treated as a reflexive action. The full phrase is att ta av sig (to take off oneself). Because the subject is Du (you), the reflexive pronoun must match it, becoming dig.
Can I split up ta and av, like we sometimes do in English with "take the glasses off"?
No, ta av is a particle verb, meaning the verb (ta) and its stressed preposition (av) work as a single, inseparable unit. In Swedish, the particle must stay right next to the verb, so the reflexive pronoun (dig) and the object (skyddsglasögonen) have to come after it.
How does the long word skyddsglasögonen break down?
It is a compound word made of skydd (protection) + an s to link the words + glasögon (glasses) + -en (the definite plural ending "the"). Literally, it translates to "the safety glasses".
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