Breakdown of Jag kan omöjligen låta bli att skratta åt skämtet.
jag
I
att
to (before a verb)
kunna
to be able to, can
skratta
to laugh
åt
for (on behalf of), to
skämtet
the joke
låta bli
to refrain
omöjligen
impossibly
Questions & Answers about Jag kan omöjligen låta bli att skratta åt skämtet.
How is the adverb omöjligen formed here, since the base adjective already ends in '-lig'?
The lesson focuses on the suffix -ligen to create sentence adverbs. However, when the base adjective already ends in -lig (like omöjlig), you don't add another -lig. Instead, you just add -en. So omöjlig becomes omöjligen (not possibly), just like verklig becomes verkligen (really).
What exactly does the phrase låta bli att mean in this sentence?
The expression låta bli means to refrain from or to avoid doing something. When paired with an expression of inability like kan omöjligen (can't possibly) and the infinitive marker att, it perfectly captures the English idiom "can't help but" or "can't stop myself from" doing something.
Could I use inte omöjligt instead of omöjligen in this sentence?
No, they mean very different things! Omöjligen is a sentence adverb meaning "not possibly" or "in no possible way" (I can't possibly refrain). If you said inte omöjligt, it would mean "not impossible" (It is not impossible for me to refrain), which completely flips the meaning of the sentence.
Why is the preposition åt used with skratta here?
In Swedish, when you laugh "at" a joke, a situation, or a person, the correct preposition is åt. So "laugh at the joke" is always skratta åt skämtet. You will also see åt used with similar emotional reactions, like le åt (smile at).
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