Breakdown of Jag drömmer om att slippa telefonkön.
jag
I
att
to
slippa
to not have to
drömma om
to dream about
telefonkön
the phone queue
Questions & Answers about Jag drömmer om att slippa telefonkön.
Why do we use om att slippa here instead of just om slippa?
In English, you use a preposition followed by an -ing verb (a gerund), like 'dream of avoiding'. Swedish does not have an exact equivalent to the -ing form. Instead, when a preposition like om is followed by a verb action, you must use the infinitive marker att plus the infinitive verb. So 'of avoiding' becomes om att slippa.
Could I use att undvika instead of att slippa to mean 'avoiding'?
You could, but slippa is much more natural here. Undvika means taking active physical or mental steps to stay away from something (like dodging a pothole or avoiding a tricky question). Slippa specifically means to be spared from or to not have to deal with something unpleasant. Since you want to be spared the annoyance of the phone queue, slippa is the perfect choice.
Is drömmer om a fixed phrase?
Yes, it is a fixed prepositional verb. Just as you say 'dream of' or 'dream about' in English, you must always use om after drömmer in Swedish when talking about something you hope for, imagine, or desire.
Why is it telefonkön (the phone queue) instead of just en telefonkö?
Even though you might be talking about phone queues in general, Swedish often uses the definite form for common shared societal experiences. This is very similar to how we say 'going to the dentist' or 'listening to the radio' in English. You are dreaming of avoiding the dreaded phone queue experience as a general concept.
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