Breakdown of Hon vill att vi flyter istället för att sjunka till bottnen.
hon
she
vi
we
att
to
vilja
to want to
till
to (direction, destination)
istället för
instead of
sjunka
to sink
bottnen
the bottom
flyta
to float (on a liquid)
Questions & Answers about Hon vill att vi flyter istället för att sjunka till bottnen.
Why can't I say Hon vill oss att flyta to mean "She wants us to float"?
In English, we use "want" plus an object and an infinitive. But in Swedish, verbs expressing will or desire like vilja cannot do this when the subject changes (here, from she to us). You must use a new clause starting with att, literally saying "She wants that we float".
Why is "instead of sinking" translated as istället för att sjunka rather than using a present participle?
Swedish does not use the present participle (words ending in -ande or -ende) after prepositions the way English uses "-ing" words. Instead, when a verb follows a prepositional phrase like istället för, you must always use att plus the infinitive form of the verb.
Why is the second part att sjunka (infinitive) instead of a full clause like att vi sjunker?
Because the subject hasn't changed again. The "we" (vi) who are floating are the same "we" who are avoiding sinking. Since there is no new subject shift after istället för, Swedish uses the standard att plus infinitive rather than starting another full subclause.
What is the base form of bottnen and why does it look like that?
The base noun is en botten (a bottom). When adding the definite suffix -en to a word already ending in an unstressed -en, Swedish drops the e in the root. This means botten becomes bottnen instead of the awkward-sounding "bottenen".
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