Questions & Answers about Kanske hunden vill gosa med dig i soffan.
Why is the verb vill in the third position here instead of the second? Doesn't Swedish usually use V2 word order?
Yes, Swedish is a V2 language, meaning the verb is normally the second element in a main clause. If you started with almost any other adverb, you would invert the subject and verb (like Idag vill hunden...). However, kanske is a famous exception. It often acts more like a conjunction, allowing the subject to come before the verb, resulting in a V3 word order: Kanske (1) hunden (2) vill (3).
Can I still use standard V2 word order with kanske?
Yes, you can! It is also perfectly correct to say Kanske vill hunden gosa... using standard V2 word order. Using V3 with kanske at the start of a sentence is extremely common in spoken and everyday Swedish, but V2 is equally acceptable and sometimes sounds slightly more formal.
Why does it say i soffan instead of på soffan? Doesn't i mean 'in'?
In Swedish, you typically sit or snuggle i en soffa (in a sofa) or i en fåtölj (in an armchair), because you sink down into the cushions. You can say på soffan, but that usually implies resting strictly on the top surface. For an intimate action like cuddling, i soffan is the most natural choice.
Is gosa the standard word for cuddling?