Learn Swedish: Patienten hoppas kunna återhämta sig efter sjukdomen. - The patient hopes to be able to recover after the illness.

The verb återhämta sig literally means "to fetch oneself back" (åter + hämta), but it translates to "to recover" or "to recuperate". It is a classic example of a reflexive verb describing a physical shift or transition that happens to your body over time, rather than a direct action you perform on an object.

Why is hoppas followed directly by kunna without an att (to) in between?

Hoppas (to hope) often drops the infinitive marker att when the subject of both verbs is the same. It behaves almost like a modal verb here. Saying hoppas kunna (hopes to be able to) is a very natural and compact way to phrase this, though you could also use a full clause: hoppas att hen kan... (hopes that they can...).

Even though återhämta sig comes after the infinitive kunna, does the reflexive pronoun still need to match the main subject?

Yes. Even in a chain of verbs like this, the reflexive pronoun must match the person actually doing the recovering. Here, the subject is Patienten (third person), so the pronoun is sig. If the sentence were about you, it would change to match: Jag hoppas kunna återhämta mig.

Could I just say bli frisk instead of återhämta sig?

You could! Bli frisk (to get well) is very common in everyday speech. However, återhämta sig specifically means "to recover" or "to regain one's strength." It sounds a bit more formal and clinical, which fits perfectly in a sentence about Patienten (the patient).