Breakdown of Pojken gick långsamt för att inte verka klumpig.
långsam
slow
inte
not
pojken
the boy
gå
to go, to walk
att
to
för
for, to
verka
to seem, to appear
klumpig
clumsy
Questions & Answers about Pojken gick långsamt för att inte verka klumpig.
Why does inte come before the verb verka here?
In a regular main clause, inte comes after the verb (like Pojken verkar inte klumpig). However, in an infinitive phrase, sentence adverbs like inte or aldrig are placed between the infinitive marker att and the verb. This is why it becomes för att inte verka.
Could I just say att inte verka instead of för att inte verka?
Not here. The phrase för att specifically means "in order to" and is used to express a purpose, goal, or intention. If you only used att ("to"), the sentence would lose the meaning of why the boy was walking slowly.
Why does långsamt get a -t at the end, but klumpig doesn't?
Långsamt is functioning as an adverb here, describing how the boy walked. In Swedish, you usually form an adverb by adding a -t to the base adjective. Klumpig (clumsy), on the other hand, is an adjective describing pojken (the boy), which is an en-word. The verb verka (to seem) connects the description right back to the subject, so the adjective must agree with pojken and takes no -t.
Does gick mean "went" or "walked" here?
The verb gå (past tense gick) can mean both "to go" and "to walk". In this sentence, because it is modified by långsamt (slowly) and focuses on his physical movement to avoid tripping, it clearly translates to "walked". When Swedes mean "went" by using a vehicle, they usually use a verb like åka instead.
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