Breakdown of Du slipper hämta tio kilo ris.
du
you (singular)
hämta
to fetch
tio
ten
slippa
to not have to
riset
the rice
kilot
the kilo
Questions & Answers about Du slipper hämta tio kilo ris.
Why is there no word for "of" in tio kilo ris?
In Swedish, when you use a unit of measurement (like kilo, liter, or kopp) followed by the substance being measured (like ris), you just put the two nouns right next to each other. You do not use a preposition like av (of). It works exactly like saying "a cup coffee" (en kopp kaffe) instead of "a cup of coffee".
Since there are ten of them, why isn't kilo in a plural form?
When used strictly as a unit of measurement with a number, kilo does not take a plural ending. You say ett kilo and tio kilo. This is true for many other units of measurement in Swedish as well, such as liter and gram.
How does the verb slipper work in this sentence, and why is there no att?
Att slippa is a very common Swedish verb meaning "to not have to do something" or "to be spared from doing something". It functions as an auxiliary (helping) verb here. Just like with words like kan or måste, the verb that follows it—hämta (to fetch)—stays in the infinitive form and does not take the infinitive marker att (to) before it.
Could I just say "du behöver inte hämta" instead of "du slipper hämta"?
Yes, du behöver inte hämta is grammatically correct and means "you do not need to fetch". However, slipper adds a positive nuance of relief. It implies that fetching ten kilos of rice was going to be a heavy chore or a burden, and you are lucky to be getting out of it!
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