enligt

According to

Level 4

enligt is a preposition that means 'according to'. It is used to cite the source of a statement, fact, or opinion.

How It Works

enligt is a crucial preposition for reporting information and attributing it to its origin. It's frequently used in news, formal writing, and everyday conversations when you want to be clear about where your information comes from.

Sentence Structure
The enligt phrase can stand initially, finally, or in the middle of a clause:

1. At the beginning of the sentence: When the enligt phrase starts the sentence, it functions as the first element. This triggers the verb-second (V2) rule, meaning the finite verb comes immediately after the phrase.

  • Enligt [source] + verb + subject...

2. At the end of the sentence: It can also be placed at the end, often separated by a comma, to add the source as an afterthought.

  • Main clause..., enligt [source].

Types of Sources
enligt can be used with a wide variety of sources:

  • People: enligt min lärare (according to my teacher)
  • Documents/Media: enligt rapporten (according to the report), enligt tidningen (according to the newspaper)
  • Laws/Rules: enligt lagen (according to the law)
  • Opinions: enligt min åsikt (in my opinion)

It is similar to the more formal phrase `i enlighet med` ('in accordance with'), which is often used in legal or official contexts to mean 'in compliance with'.

A source phrase can occur in the middle too: Det kommer enligt prognosen att regna. No comma is needed after an ordinary initial enligt phrase. In Arbetet utfördes enligt planen, enligt means that the work followed the plan, not that the plan reported it. This “in accordance with” sense overlaps with i enlighet med; the two phrases are not interchangeable in every source-reporting context.

Examples (5)

  1. Enligt väderprognosen kommer det att regna imorgon.

    According to the weather forecast, it will rain tomorrow.

    Word by Word: According to the weather forecast, comes it to rain tomorrow.

    The phrase 'Enligt väderprognosen' starts the sentence, so the verb 'kommer' is placed in the second position, following the V2 rule.

  2. Du måste betala skatt enligt svensk lag.

    You must pay taxes according to Swedish law.

    Word by Word: You must pay tax according to Swedish law.

  3. Enligt min åsikt är den här boken fantastisk.

    In my opinion, this book is fantastic.

    Word by Word: According to my opinion is this book fantastic.

    Here, 'enligt' is used to state a personal opinion. Note that the literal translation is 'according to my opinion'.

  4. Barnen får inte se den filmen, enligt deras föräldrar.

    The children are not allowed to see that movie, according to their parents.

    Word by Word: The children get not see that movie, according to their parents.

  5. Enligt studien sover svenskar i genomsnitt sju timmar per natt.

    According to the study, Swedes sleep an average of seven hours per night.

    Word by Word: According to the study sleep Swedes on average seven hours per night.

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing 'enligt' (source of information) with 'på grund av' (cause of an event).

    Flyget var försenat enligt det dåliga vädret.
    Flyget var försenat på grund av det dåliga vädret.

    enligt is used to cite a source. You could say, 'Enligt piloten var flyget försenat på grund av det dåliga vädret' (According to the pilot, the flight was delayed due to the bad weather). Use på grund av to state the direct cause of something.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

enligtLevel 4According to

Learn This First

To use 'enligt' (according to), you need to understand how to attribute information to a source within a sentence. This requires a solid grasp of basic word order and how nouns are used as objects of prepositions. Additionally, because 'enligt' phrases are frequently used as sentence starters, understanding the V2 rule is crucial for maintaining correct Swedish syntax.

Words in This Pattern

enligt