Learn Swedish: I själva verket visste ingen om mötet. - In fact, nobody knew about the meeting.

I själva verket visste ingen om mötet.

In fact, nobody knew about the meeting.

Breakdown of I själva verket visste ingen om mötet.

veta

to know (facts, information)

Questions & Answers about I själva verket visste ingen om mötet.

What does I själva verket literally translate to?

It translates literally to "in the actual work" or "in the reality itself." It is a fixed, everyday expression used to mean "in fact," "actually," or "as a matter of fact."

Why does själva end in "-a" when verket is an ett-word?

When själva is placed directly before a definite noun to mean "the actual" or "the very," it acts like an adjective in the definite form. Therefore, it always takes the -a ending, regardless of the noun's gender.

Could I use kände till instead of visste om for "knew about"?

You could, but they have a subtle difference in focus. Veta om (used here) emphasizes having factual awareness that an event is occurring or exists. Känna till is generally about being familiar with someone or something. Here, visste om perfectly highlights that the fact of the meeting happening was kept secret.

Could I drop om and just say visste mötet?

No, you cannot drop om. The verb veta alone means "to know a fact" and is usually followed by a clause (like an att-clause). To express knowing about a specific noun or thing, you must use the phrasal verb veta om.