Breakdown of Hör du att klockan fortsätter att ticka?
du
you (singular)
klockan
the clock
höra
to hear
att
that
Questions & Answers about Hör du att klockan fortsätter att ticka?
There are two instances of att here. Are they pronounced the same way?
Typically, no. The first att is a subjunction meaning 'that' and is usually pronounced exactly as it is spelled. The second att is an infinitive marker meaning 'to' before the verb ticka, and in everyday speech, it is almost always pronounced as 'å'.
Where would I place inte if I wanted to ask if the clock does not continue to tick?
It would be Hör du att klockan inte fortsätter att ticka?. Because att introduces a subordinate clause, it triggers the BIFF rule. This rule dictates that sentence adverbs like inte must come before the conjugated verb, which in this clause is fortsätter.
Why does fortsätter need att before the next verb, when some other verbs do not?
While modal verbs like kan or vill take a bare infinitive, fortsätta is a verb that requires the infinitive marker att before the following verb in standard Swedish. Although native speakers sometimes drop it in fast casual speech, keeping att is the grammatically correct standard.
This lesson covers Antingen... eller and the resumptive så. How would this sentence look if we applied that structure to offer a negative choice?