Breakdown of Att låta bli att skvallra är väldigt svårt.
vara
to be
att
to
svår
difficult
väldigt
very (extremely)
Questions & Answers about Att låta bli att skvallra är väldigt svårt.
Why are there two "att"s in "Att låta bli att skvallra"?
The first att goes with låta to form the subject of the sentence (To refrain). The second att belongs to the target phrase låta bli att, linking it to the action being avoided (skvallra). Where English often uses "-ing" forms for this (Refraining from gossiping), Swedish strings together infinitive verbs using att.
What is the literal translation of "låta bli"?
It literally translates to "let be". As a fixed expression, låta bli att is the standard way to say "to refrain from", "to abstain from", or "to stop oneself from" doing something.
Why is the adjective "svårt" spelled with a "t" at the end here?
Because the subject of the sentence isn't a person or a regular noun, but an action: the whole phrase Att låta bli att skvallra. In Swedish grammar, when an infinitive phrase is the subject, it is treated as a neuter word (an ett-word). Because of this, the adjective svår (difficult) must take the neuter -t ending to match.
Could I use "mycket" instead of "väldigt" in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely! Both mycket svårt and väldigt svårt mean "very difficult" and are interchangeable here. Väldigt comes from the adjective väldig (huge/enormous), but it is extremely common to use it as an adverb meaning "very" or "extremely".