Breakdown of Instruktören vill att dykaren behåller sin lufttub.
vilja
to want to
sin
his/her/its/their own (en-word)
att
that
dykaren
the diver
instruktören
the instructor
behålla
to keep
lufttuben
the air tank
Questions & Answers about Instruktören vill att dykaren behåller sin lufttub.
Why does the Swedish sentence use att here instead of translating 'wants the diver to keep' word-for-word?
In English, we use an object and an infinitive ('wants the diver to keep'). Swedish doesn't do this with verbs of volition like vill (wants) when the person wanting is different from the person doing the action. Instead, you must use a new sub-clause starting with att (that), giving the second verb its own subject: Instruktören vill att dykaren behåller... (Literally: 'The instructor wants that the diver keeps...').
Why is the verb behåller in the present tense rather than the infinitive behålla?
Because the att-clause acts as a complete sentence with its own subject (dykaren). A new subject requires a conjugated verb, not an infinitive. Since the main verb vill is in the present tense, behåller is also in the present tense to show the expected action.
Why is it sin lufttub and not hans or hennes lufttub?
The reflexive possessive sin always refers back to the subject of its own clause. Here, dykaren is the subject of the att-clause, and the diver is keeping their own tank. If you used hans or hennes here, it would mean the diver is keeping the instructor's (or a third party's) tank!
What is the difference between håller and behåller?
håller means 'holds' (physically gripping something), whereas behåller means 'keeps' (retaining possession of something). Adding the prefix be- changes the physical action into an abstract one of retention.
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