Breakdown of Jag vill ta upp ett problem.
jag
I
ett
a, an (neuter)
vilja
to want to
problemet
the problem
ta upp
to bring up, to raise (a topic)
Questions & Answers about Jag vill ta upp ett problem.
What does the phrasal verb ta upp mean in this context?
In this sentence, the phrasal verb ta upp means "to raise" or "to bring up" a topic, issue, or problem. Its literal translation is "take up", which makes it very similar to how we use "bring up" in English.
How should I pronounce ta upp to sound natural?
Because ta upp is a Swedish phrasal verb (partikelverb), the stress must fall on the particle rather than the verb itself. You should emphasize upp, pronouncing it as "ta UPP". If you stress ta, it sounds like you are physically picking up a problem.
How would the word order change if I replaced ett problem with the pronoun det (it)?
In Swedish, the verb and its particle usually stay glued together even when the object is a pronoun. Instead of splitting them like in English ("bring it up"), you place the pronoun at the end: Jag vill ta upp det. The phrasing Jag vill ta det upp is incorrect in Swedish.
Why isn't there an att (to) before ta?
Even though the English translation says "want to raise", the Swedish verb vill (want) behaves like a modal auxiliary verb (similar to "can" or "should"). Modal verbs are followed directly by the infinitive of the main verb, so you never put att between vill and ta.
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