Breakdown of Den nya ritningen låter sig inte användas.
inte
not
sig
oneself / himself / herself / themselves
ny
new
den
the (with en-words)
använda
to use
låta
to let, allow
ritningen
the blueprint
Questions & Answers about Den nya ritningen låter sig inte användas.
How does the låter sig... användas construction translate to "cannot be used"?
The phrase låta sig literally means "to allow oneself." When combined with an s-passive infinitive like användas (to be used), it expresses whether something can or cannot be done to the subject. So, låter sig inte användas essentially means "does not allow itself to be used," which is a common formal way in Swedish to say "cannot be used."
Why is användas in the s-passive form instead of the active infinitive använda?
Because the subject, ritningen (the blueprint), is the thing being acted upon. If you used the active form använda, it would imply that the blueprint itself is trying to use something else. The s-passive infinitive användas ensures the meaning is "to be used."
Could I just say kan inte användas instead? Is there a difference in nuance?
Yes, you can use kan inte användas to mean the exact same thing. The difference is mostly in tone. Using låter sig inte sounds slightly more formal and often implies that the inherent nature of the blueprint makes it impossible to use (as if it is actively resisting the attempt), whereas kan inte is just a neutral statement of fact.
Why does inte come after sig here?
In a Swedish main clause, the negation inte comes after the first verb and its object pronoun. Because sig is the reflexive object of låter, it must be placed before inte. Saying låter inte sig would break this fundamental word order rule.
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