Word
Plötsligt kom ovädret och vi kunde inte grilla.
Meaning
Suddenly the storm came and we could not grill.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Plötsligt kom ovädret och vi kunde inte grilla.
vi
we
och
and
inte
not
kunna
to be able to, can
Questions & Answers about Plötsligt kom ovädret och vi kunde inte grilla.
Why does this sentence use kunde inte instead of skulle inte, since this lesson is about things we were going to do?
skulle inte grilla means "we weren't going to grill" (a lack of intention). Because the storm ruined a plan you already had, you use kunde inte grilla to mean "we could not grill" (a lack of ability). Both use a past-tense modal verb plus a bare infinitive.
Why is the word order kom ovädret and not ovädret kom?
How does the word ovädret mean "the storm"?
Why is grilla in the infinitive form here?
Just like in English, Swedish modal verbs like kunde (could) are followed by a bare infinitive (the infinitive form without the word att in front of it).