Questions & Answers about Låt bli att svära när barnet lyssnar!
Why is it Låt here instead of Låta or Låter?
The sentence is a command, so it uses the imperative form. The infinitive is låta, the present tense is låter, and the imperative (command) form is låt. So Låt bli att svära! is a direct instruction meaning "Refrain from swearing!" or "Stop swearing!"
What exactly does låta bli mean literally?
Literally, it means something like "let be" or "allow to remain." In everyday Swedish, låta bli att is a fixed phrase that means "to refrain from," "to avoid," or "to not do" something. You pair it with the action you are avoiding, which is svära (to swear) in this sentence.
Does låta bli always need att when followed by an action verb?
Yes! Even though it functions a bit like an auxiliary verb (helping verb) when you use it to mean "to refrain from," this specific phrase requires the infinitive marker att before the action verb. So it is always låta bli att + infinitive.
The English translation says "is listening", but the Swedish uses the simple present tense lyssnar. Is there an "is listening" tense in Swedish?
No, Swedish does not have a separate continuous tense (like "is listening" or "are doing"). The standard present tense verb lyssnar translates to both "listens" and "is listening". You rely on the context to know which one makes the most sense in English.