Breakdown of Bilen minskar hastigheten utan att bromsa.
bilen
the car
bromsa
to brake
minska
to reduce
utan att
without
Questions & Answers about Bilen minskar hastigheten utan att bromsa.
Why is it utan att bromsa instead of an "-ing" word like in English?
Swedish doesn't use "-ing" words (gerunds) after prepositions like English does. Whenever you want to say "without doing" something, you must use the phrase utan att followed by the infinitive form of the verb, which here is bromsa.
Can the verb minskar mean both "reduces" and "decreases"?
Yes! Minska is a very flexible verb. In this sentence, it takes a direct object (hastigheten), so it means "reduces". But you can also use it when something gets smaller on its own without a direct object, like saying temperaturen minskar (the temperature decreases).
Why do we use the definite form hastigheten (the speed) here?
In English, you might just say that a car "reduces speed" in general. Swedish tends to be more specific and uses the definite form because it refers to the specific speed that this particular car is currently traveling at.
Could I just say utan bromsar instead of utan att bromsa?
That would completely change the meaning! Bromsar can be the present tense verb "brakes", but after a preposition like utan, it would be understood as the plural noun "brakes". So utan bromsar means the car physically has no brakes installed, rather than the action of not using them.