slipper + Infinitive

Get Out of -ing/avoid

Level 4

Use slipper + an infinitive verb (like göra, städa) to say you don't have to do something you were expected to do.

How It Works

The verb slipper is a useful and common way to express that a requirement or obligation has been removed. It functions similarly to a modal verb, meaning it's followed by another verb in its base (infinitive) form.

Structure:
Subject + slippa (conjugated) + (att) + Infinitive Verb

Conjugation:

  • Present: slipper
  • Past (Preterite): slapp
  • Supine: sluppit; perfect: har sluppit

Key Nuance: slipper vs. behöver inte
While both can mean 'don't have to', they have different connotations:

  • slipper implies relief from an undesirable or burdensome task. The reason you don't have to do it is often external. For example, Jag slipper diska eftersom diskmaskinen är lagad. (I get out of doing the dishes because the dishwasher is fixed.)
  • behöver inte is more neutral. It simply states a lack of necessity without the added feeling of relief. For example, Jag behöver inte diska eftersom allt är rent. (I don't need to do the dishes because everything is clean.)

Using slipper adds a layer of meaning that suggests you are happy to be freed from the obligation.

Examples (5)

  1. Jag slipper laga mat ikväll eftersom vi ska äta på restaurang.

    I get to skip cooking tonight because we are going to eat at a restaurant.

    Word by Word: I get-out-of cook food tonight because we shall eat at restaurant.

  2. Barnen slapp gå till skolan igår på grund av snöstormen.

    The children got out of going to school yesterday because of the snowstorm.

    Word by Word: The-children got-out-of go to school yesterday on ground of the-snowstorm.

  3. Om du skyndar dig slipper du stå i kö.

    If you hurry, you'll avoid having to stand in line.

    Word by Word: If you hurry yourself get-out-of-you stand in queue.

  4. Vi har sluppit betala för reparationen, tack och lov.

    We have been spared from paying for the repair, thank goodness.

    Word by Word: We have been-spared-from pay for the-repair, thanks and praise.

  5. Slipper du jobba på lördag?

    Do you get out of working on Saturday?

    Word by Word: Get-out-of you work on Saturday?

Common Mistakes

  • Using a finite form instead of an infinitive after slipper.

    Jag slipper städar mitt rum idag.
    Jag slipper (att) städa mitt rum idag.

    The following verb must be the infinitive städa in this construction. Att is optional; the older card wrongly rejected slipper att städa.

  • Using slipper without a context in which avoiding the activity is a relief.

    Jag slipper äta godis för att vara hälsosam.
    Jag undviker att äta godis för att vara hälsosam.

    Undviker plainly expresses deliberate avoidance. Slipper presents being spared an unwanted activity or requirement, which can result from your own actions too. The candy sentence needs a context making eating candy an unwanted prospect; someone forcing you is only one possible context.

How It Connects

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

slipper + InfinitiveLevel 4Get Out of -ing/avoid

Learn This First

To use 'slipper + infinitive', you need to understand how Swedish verbs are conjugated into their infinitive forms. It is also helpful to understand modal-like verbs that express obligation (like 'måste'), as 'slipper' specifically describes escaping or avoiding such obligations.

Words in This Pattern

slippa