Breakdown of Efter att ha tvättat håret med schampot måste du föna det.
du
you (singular)
det
it (neuter)
tvätta
to wash
ha
to have
att
to
måste
to have to, must
med
with
efter
after
håret
the hair
schampot
the shampoo
föna
to blow-dry
Questions & Answers about Efter att ha tvättat håret med schampot måste du föna det.
Why do we use ha tvättat here instead of just saying "efter tvättar"?
The structure efter att ha followed by the supine verb form (tvättat) means "after having washed" or "after washing". We use it to clearly show that the washing is completely finished before the blow-drying starts. You cannot put a present tense verb directly after efter att.
Why is it håret (the hair) when the English translation says "your hair"?
In Swedish, when it is obvious who the body part belongs to from the context, you usually use the definite form like håret (the hair) instead of a possessive word like ditt (your).
Why is the word order måste du instead of du måste?
This happens because of the V2 (verb-second) rule. The long introductory phrase Efter att ha tvättat håret med schampot counts as the first block of information. The verb måste must immediately follow it in the second position, pushing the subject du to the third position.
Why does the sentence end with det instead of den?
det means "it" and refers back to what you are blow-drying: håret (the hair). Because hår is an ett word, we have to use the matching neuter pronoun det.
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