Breakdown of Hon försöker låta bli att svära på kontoret.
hon
she
att
to
försöka
to try
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
Questions & Answers about Hon försöker låta bli att svära på kontoret.
I know låta means "to let" or "to sound", and bli means "to become". How do they mean "keep from" here?
The phrase låta bli is a fixed expression that literally translates to "let be" (as in "leave it alone"). In Swedish, it's the standard way to express "to refrain from", "to avoid", or "to stop oneself from" doing an action.
Why is there no att (to) after försöker, but there is one before svära?
It is very common in Swedish to drop the infinitive marker att after certain verbs like försöka (to try) or börja (to begin), making försöker låta bli feel very natural. However, the fixed expression låta bli always keeps the att to connect to the following action verb (svära).
The English translation says "swearing" with an "-ing", so why does Swedish use the infinitive svära?
English often uses the "-ing" form (a gerund) after prepositions like "from" in "keep from swearing". Swedish doesn't use participles this way. When you state what action you are avoiding with låta bli att, you must always follow it with the basic infinitive form of the verb.
Why do we use the preposition på instead of i for "at the office"?