Breakdown of Jag tror att han förälskar sig i sin kollega.
jag
I
han
he
i
in
tro
to believe
kollegan
the colleague
sin
his/her/its/their own (en-word)
att
that
förälska sig
to fall in love
Questions & Answers about Jag tror att han förälskar sig i sin kollega.
Why is the reflexive pronoun sig required here?
The verb förälska sig specifically describes the involuntary process of falling in love. In Swedish, many verbs that denote an emotional shift or an involuntary change of state require a reflexive pronoun. Here, sig reflects back to the subject (han) to show that he is the one experiencing this internal change.
Could I use bli kär i instead of förälska sig i?
Yes, bli kär i is a very common everyday synonym. förälska sig sounds slightly more formal or literary, but both capture the exact same involuntary emotional shift taught in this lesson.
Why do we use the preposition i instead of med for falling in love 'with' someone?
While English says falling in love 'with', Swedish strictly uses i (in). You can remember it by thinking of falling 'in' love. The set phrase is always förälska sig i or bli kär i.
As a quick refresher, why must we use sin kollega instead of hans kollega?
The word sin is the reflexive possessive pronoun that refers back to the subject of the current clause (han), meaning 'his own' colleague. If you used hans kollega, it would literally mean he is falling in love with some other man's colleague!
Why is the verb tror used here for 'think' rather than tycker or tänker?
The verb tror is used for beliefs or guesses about facts you do not know for certain. tycker is for expressing subjective opinions, and tänker is for the cognitive act of thinking or planning. Since you are guessing about someone else's feelings, tror is required.
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