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unusual position of inte

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Will709432

unusual position of inte

Post by Will709432 »

So I'm reading pride and prejudice in Swedish (lättläst version) and I came across this:

jag hoppas inte att han skrämmer bort dig från trakten.

Doesn't this say , I hope not that he scares you away from... when I think what is meant is I hope that he does not scare you away from... but then wouldn't that be: Jag hoppas att han inte skrämmer bort dig från...?

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Crahdol
Japan

Re: unusual position of inte

Post by Crahdol »

You are correct, both in that it is a bit usual and in your translations.

Where you put the inte/"not" slightly shifts the focus a bit. The sentence has two parts. Part A is about whether or not you hope, and part B is about what result your hoping (or not hoping for).

Jag hoppas inte... put focus on not hoping, while jag hoppas att han inte... puts focus in the result not occurring.

Vänliga hälsningar/Best Regards/よろしくお願いします
Crahdol
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