Breakdown of De anstränger sig för att inte störa sina grannar.
de
they
inte
not
att
to
för
for, to
grannen
the neighbor
sin
his/her/its/their own (en-word)
störa
to disturb
anstränga sig
to make an effort
Questions & Answers about De anstränger sig för att inte störa sina grannar.
Why does inte come right after att in this sentence?
This sentence uses an infinitive phrase. In Swedish, sentence adverbs like inte are placed immediately after the infinitive marker att and before the verb itself. So 'in order not to disturb' is formed as för att inte störa.
Why do we need the word sig after the verb?
The verb anstränga sig is a reflexive verb that translates to 'make an effort' (literally 'strain oneself'). Since the subject is de (they), the matching reflexive pronoun is sig.
Why use sina grannar instead of deras grannar?
You must use the reflexive possessive pronoun sina because it refers back to the subject of the sentence (de). If you wrote deras grannar, it would mean they are trying not to disturb someone else's neighbors!
What is the role of för in för att inte störa?
The phrase för att translates to 'in order to'. When you want to express the purpose or goal of an action, you use för att combined with an infinitive verb.
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