Breakdown of Hon vägrar ta ställning till frågan.
hon
she
frågan
the question
vägra
to refuse
ta ställning till
to take a position on
Questions & Answers about Hon vägrar ta ställning till frågan.
Why is there no att before the infinitive ta?
The verb vägrar (refuses) is one of several verbs in Swedish that can take an infinitive directly without att (to). While you can perfectly well say vägrar att ta, dropping the att is extremely common and often sounds more natural in everyday speech.
Why do we use the preposition till instead of på or om for taking a position "on" the question?
The expression ta ställning (to take a stand or position) pairs specifically with the preposition till when you state the topic. Prepositions rarely translate one-to-one between English and Swedish, so it is best to memorize ta ställning till as a complete, fixed phrase.
Does frågan always mean a literal question here?
It can, but in Swedish, en fråga is also heavily used to mean an "issue" or a "matter" in discussions, debates, and politics. In this context, it highly likely means that she is refusing to take a stance on a broader issue rather than a simple question someone just asked.
How does the word ställning relate to taking a position?
The noun ställning comes from the verb ställa (to put or place). It literally translates to a "position", "posture", or "stance" (and even physical "scaffolding"). So ta ställning is the direct Swedish equivalent of the English concept of placing yourself in a specific position on a topic.