Breakdown of Sjuksköterskan sa åt mig att inte sträcka muskeln.
inte
not
att
to
mig
me
sjuksköterskan
the nurse
säga åt
to tell (to do)
sträcka
to stretch
muskeln
the muscle
Questions & Answers about Sjuksköterskan sa åt mig att inte sträcka muskeln.
Why is inte placed after att instead of before it?
In Swedish indirect commands, the negation inte always goes exactly between the infinitive marker att and the verb. This creates the literal word order 'to not stretch' (att inte sträcka), which is different from the English 'not to stretch'.
Why does the sentence use sa åt instead of just sa?
The phrasal verb säga åt means to give someone a command or a direct instruction. If you only used sa (said), you would be missing the instruction aspect, and the sentence would sound incomplete.
Could I use sa till instead of sa åt?
Yes! Both säga till and säga åt work perfectly here for reporting a command. Säga åt can sometimes sound a bit firmer, which fits nicely with strict medical advice.
Does sträcka refer to the exercise kind of stretching here?
It can, but usually sträcka en muskel means to accidentally pull or strain a muscle. If the nurse meant the fitness exercise, they would more likely use the loanword stretcha or the verb töja.
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