Breakdown of Musen hör inte örnen närma sig.
inte
not
höra
to hear
musen
the mouse
närma sig
to approach
örnen
the eagle
Questions & Answers about Musen hör inte örnen närma sig.
Why is närma in the infinitive here? Shouldn't there be an att (to) before it?
With verbs of perception like höra (to hear), se (to see), and känna (to feel), Swedish uses the object (örnen) followed directly by the bare infinitive (närma) without att. This is just like English: we say 'hear the eagle approach,' not 'hear the eagle to approach.'
Could I use the present tense here and say örnen närmar sig instead?
Not in this exact structure. Because it directly follows the object of a perception verb, it must be the infinitive närma. If you wanted to use the present tense närmar, you would need to create a new clause with att (that): Musen hör inte att örnen närmar sig (The mouse does not hear that the eagle is approaching).
Why do we need the word sig at the end of the sentence?
The verb närma sig (to approach) is a reflexive verb in Swedish. It literally means that the eagle is bringing itself closer. Without the reflexive pronoun sig, the verb närma would sound incomplete.
Why is inte placed before örnen instead of after it?
In a standard main clause, the sentence adverb (inte) usually comes right after the first verb (hör). Even though English puts 'not' before the verb ('does not hear'), Swedish places inte after the verb but before the object (örnen).
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