Breakdown of Förövaren måste ha stulit testamentet.
ha
to have
måste
to have to, must
stjäla
to steal
förövaren
the perpetrator
testamentet
the will (legal document)
Questions & Answers about Förövaren måste ha stulit testamentet.
How does måste ha stulit work to show a deduction rather than an obligation?
While måste by itself usually expresses a strict obligation ("have to" / "must"), combining it with ha plus a supine verb (stulit) shifts the meaning to a deduction about the past. Just like in English, this structure shows you are drawing a highly confident, logical conclusion based on evidence: the perpetrator must have done it.
What is the infinitive of stulit, and why doesn't it have a 'j' in it?
The infinitive is stjäla (to steal). It is a strong verb that follows the pattern stjäla (infinitive) - stal (past) - stulit (supine). It is very common for Swedish verbs with a -jä- combination in the present or infinitive to drop the j in their past and supine forms. You might remember a similar pattern with välja (to choose) becoming valt.
How exactly is the definite noun förövaren formed?
The base noun is en förövare (a perpetrator). For en-words ending in the actor suffix -are (like lärare or forskare), you drop the final -e before adding the definite ending -en. This prevents an awkward double vowel, making it förövaren instead of "förövareen".
Why does testamentet end in just -t instead of -et for the definite form?
The base word is ett testamente (a will). For ett-words that already end in a vowel, you only add a -t to make them definite, rather than the full -et ending you would use for consonant-ending words like ett hus (huset).
Learn Förövaren måste ha stulit testamentet and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free