Breakdown of Efter beskedet uppmanade vi ministern att uttala sig.
vi
we
att
to (before a verb)
efter
after
uppmana
to urge
uttala sig
to make a statement
beskedet
the announcement
ministern
the minister
Questions & Answers about Efter beskedet uppmanade vi ministern att uttala sig.
Does the time phrase Efter beskedet need to shift because this is a past-tense reported event?
No. Unlike relative time words such as i morgon (which would shift to dagen därpå in past-tense indirect speech), efter beskedet (after the announcement) is tied to a specific event rather than the speaker's "now." It stays the same no matter when you report it.
How is indirect speech being used in this sentence?
The sentence reports an indirect command. When you report a command or request, verbs like uppmana (to urge) and be (to ask) are typically followed by an object (ministern) and an infinitive phrase (att uttala sig) instead of a full clause starting with a "that" equivalent.
Since the main subject is vi, why is the reflexive pronoun sig used at the end instead of oss?
In an infinitive clause, the reflexive pronoun refers back to the logical subject of that specific action. Even though vi (we) is the subject of the main sentence, ministern (the minister) is the one actually making the statement. Because the minister is the one doing the action of the infinitive, it takes the third-person reflexive pronoun sig.
What is the difference between the verbs uttala and uttala sig?
The non-reflexive verb uttala usually means "to pronounce" (like how you say a word out loud). When you make it reflexive (uttala sig), the meaning changes to "to express oneself," "to comment," or "to make a statement."
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