Breakdown of Han sa att han ville utbilda sig till arkitekt.
han
he
vilja
to want to
säga
to say
att
that
arkitekten
the architect
utbilda sig
to educate oneself
till
as (in appointments)
Questions & Answers about Han sa att han ville utbilda sig till arkitekt.
Why do we use till here instead of translating "as an" with something like som en?
When talking about studying, training, or developing into a specific profession, Swedish uses the preposition till to show this transformation or goal. Additionally, professions in this structure take a bare noun, meaning you drop the indefinite article (en or ett). So, "train as an architect" becomes utbilda sig till arkitekt (literally "educate oneself to architect").
Can I use the verb träna instead of utbilda since the English translation says "train"?
No, träna is primarily used for physical exercise or practicing a very specific physical skill (like playing a sport). When "training" means acquiring formal education or professional qualifications, you must use utbilda sig.
Why is the reflexive pronoun sig necessary in utbilda sig?
In Swedish, utbilda is transitive, meaning it requires an object—literally "to educate [someone]". Since he is the one receiving the education, he is educating himself, which requires the reflexive pronoun sig. Without it, the sentence sounds incomplete, as if he wants to educate someone else.
Why is ville in the past tense if becoming an architect is a future goal?
This is because of tense agreement in indirect speech. The main clause is in the past tense (Han sa - "He said"), so the verb in the att-clause (that-clause) must shift to the past tense (ville) to match it. This works exactly the same way in English: "He said that he wanted..."
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