Questions & Answers about Vi provade på att klättra i somras.
Why is på added here? Couldn't we just say Vi provade att klättra?
While prova means to test or try something generally (like a new recipe or clothes), adding på creates the phrasal verb prova på. This specifically means to try out an activity, hobby, or experience to see what it is like. It emphasizes the experience of doing the activity rather than just testing if you are physically capable of it.
What exactly does i somras mean compared to just i sommar?
The phrase i somras refers specifically to the most recently passed summer, meaning last summer or this past summer. If you just say i sommar, it usually refers to the current or upcoming summer. This is a very common distinction in Swedish that trips up learners.
Why does somras end in an -s? Is it a passive verb or possessive?
It looks like a possessive noun or a passive verb, but it is actually a leftover from an old Swedish grammar rule for making time adverbs. You do not need to learn any complex rules for it; just memorize that adding -s to seasons after the preposition i (like i våras for last spring or i vintras for last winter) locks the meaning firmly into the past.
Why do we need att before klättra? Do we not normally drop it before the second verb?
You drop the infinitive marker att after auxiliary verbs like kan, vill, or måste, and a few specific main verbs like brukar. Because the phrasal verb prova på is not one of those exceptions, the following verb acts as the object of the sentence and must take its full infinitive form with att.
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