Exceptional case marking

Level 6

ECM constructions allow a verb (like 'see', 'hear', 'let') to take a noun/pronoun as its direct object, which is also the subject of a following action (an infinitive verb). For example: 'Jag såg honom springa' (I saw him run).

How It Works

Exceptional Case Marking (ECM), known in Swedish grammar as ackusativ med infinitiv (accusative with infinitive), is an advanced syntactic structure. It describes a situation where the subject of an infinitive verb is 'marked' with the object (accusative) case by the main verb of the sentence.

Key Characteristics:

  • Structure: Subject + Main Verb + Object (Subject of Infinitive) + Infinitive Verb.
  • Bare Infinitive: The infinitive verb does not use the infinitive marker att.
  • Case Assignment: The main verb treats the subject of the infinitive as its own direct object. This is why pronouns must be in their object form (e.g., mig, dig, honom, henne, oss, er, dem).

Common Verb Types:
ECM constructions are typically used with specific categories of verbs:

1. Verbs of Perception: These describe a direct sensory experience. The ECM structure emphasizes that the subject witnessed the action itself, not just the result.
- se (to see), höra (to hear), känna (to feel)
- Example: Jag hörde dem skratta. (I heard them laugh.)

2. Causative Verbs: These verbs cause or permit an action.
- låta (to let, make)
- Example: Hon lät barnen stanna uppe sent. (She let the children stay up late.)

3. Verbs of Belief/Declaration: These express an opinion or judgment about the subject of the infinitive.
- anse (to consider), and, with lexical and stylistic restrictions, verbs such as förklara (to declare). Not every opinion verb freely accepts every object: compare ordinary Hon tror att han är sjuk with formal/reflexive Hon tror sig vara sjuk
- Example: De anser honom vara den bästa kandidaten. (They consider him to be the best candidate.)

ECM vs. att-clauses
There is a subtle but important semantic difference:

  • ECM: Jag såg henne lämna rummet. (I saw her leave the room.) - Implies direct, visual perception of the action as it happened.
  • att-clause: Jag såg att hon lämnade rummet. (I saw that she left the room.) - Reports a fact. The fact may be directly perceived or inferred. An att-clause does not exclude direct perception; the infinitive pattern more specifically presents the perceived participant and event.

Passivization Test
With verbs such as höra and anse, an active object can become the subject of a passive sentence, using the s-passive.

  • Active: Man hörde honom sjunga. (One heard him sing.)
  • Passive: Han hördes sjunga. (He was heard to sing.)

This shows that 'honom' truly functions as an object in the active sentence.

Terminology differs across grammatical frameworks: the Academy grammar calls this objekt + nexusinfinitiv. Do not group every object followed by an infinitive under the same analysis. Jag bad honom (att) komma has an object-control pattern and permits att; Jag kallade honom kompetent has an adjective predicative, not this infinitive construction.

Examples (5)

  1. Jag såg tjuven stjäla cykeln.

    I saw the thief steal the bike.

    Word by Word: I saw the-thief steal the-bike.

    The verb 'såg' (saw) takes 'tjuven' (the thief) as its object. 'Tjuven' is also the one performing the action 'stjäla' (to steal).

  2. Läraren lät eleverna gå hem tidigare.

    The teacher let the students go home earlier.

    Word by Word: The-teacher let the-students go home earlier.

    This is a causative use. 'Lät' (let) acts upon 'eleverna' (the students), who are the subject of the infinitive 'gå' (to go).

  3. Vi anser honom vara en expert.

    We consider him to be an expert.

    Word by Word: We consider him be an expert.

    A verb of belief. 'Honom' (him) is the object of 'anser' (consider) and the subject of the state of 'vara' (to be).

  4. Kan du känna marken skaka?

    Can you feel the ground shake?

    Word by Word: Can you feel the-ground shake?

    A perception verb 'känna' (feel) with its object 'marken' (the ground) performing the action 'skaka' (shake).

  5. Jag hörde telefonen ringa.

    I heard the telephone ring.

    Word by Word: I heard the-telephone ring.

    The perception verb 'hörde' (heard) takes 'telefonen' (the telephone) as its object, which is also the 'subject' of the action 'ringa' (to ring).

Common Mistakes

  • Using the subject form of a pronoun instead of the object form.

    Jag hörde hon sjunga.
    Jag hörde henne sjunga.

    In an ECM construction, the noun or pronoun is the direct object of the main verb. Therefore, it must be in the object case ('henne'), not the subject case ('hon').

  • Incorrectly adding the infinitive marker 'att'.

    De lät oss att gå.
    De lät oss gå.

    Verbs that trigger ECM constructions are followed by a bare infinitive, meaning the infinitive verb without 'att'.

  • Using a finite verb where the construction requires an infinitive.

    Jag kände golvet skakade.
    Jag kände golvet skaka.

    After kände golvet, use the bare infinitive skaka. Jag kände att golvet skakade is also grammatical and can describe direct physical perception.

How It Connects

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

Exceptional case markingLevel 6

Learn This First

To understand Exceptional Case Marking (ECM), you need to be comfortable with object pronouns, as the subject of the embedded action appears in the object case (e.g., 'honom' instead of 'han'). You also need to understand how infinitives function as complements to main verbs.