Breakdown of Jag vill att du behåller våtdräkten efter dykkursen.
jag
I
du
you (singular)
vilja
to want to
efter
after
att
that
dykkursen
the diving course
behålla
to keep
våtdräkten
the wetsuit
Questions & Answers about Jag vill att du behåller våtdräkten efter dykkursen.
Why can't I say Jag vill dig att behålla, translating the English structure word-for-word?
In English, you use an object and an infinitive after the verb "want" (I want you to do). Swedish doesn't allow this structure when the person doing the action changes. Because one person has the desire but another is doing the keeping, you must use a subclause starting with att (that): Jag vill att du behåller...
Why is behåller in the present tense instead of the infinitive behålla?
Because the sentence uses an att-clause with a new subject (du), the verb must be conjugated. It is a completely new clause, so behåller functions as the active verb for du, rather than an infinitive attached to vill.
Why is it dykkursen and not dykningskursen since dykning means diving?
While dykning is the noun for the activity of diving, Swedish typically uses the shorter root word to build compounds. The root dyk (dive) combines with kursen (the course) to make dykkursen. You see the exact same pattern in words like simlektion (swimming lesson).
How does the compound word våtdräkten break down?
It is a combination of the adjective våt (wet) and the noun dräkt (suit or outfit), plus the definite suffix -en. Notice that even though the entire wetsuit is definite, only the final part of a Swedish compound word ever takes the definite ending.
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