få + Infinitive
Get To/manage to
Use få + a verb in its base form (infinitive) to say you 'get to' or 'are allowed to' do something. For example, Jag får gå means 'I get to go' or 'I am allowed to go'.
How It Works
The construction få + infinitive is a versatile and common way to express two main concepts in Swedish: permission and opportunity.
1. Permission (May / Be allowed to)
This is the most direct meaning, equivalent to 'may' or 'be allowed to' in English. It's used to grant, deny, or ask for permission.
- Asking for permission:
Får jag låna din penna?(May I borrow your pen?) - Granting permission:
Ja, du får äta en kaka till.(Yes, you may eat one more cookie.) - Denying permission (Prohibition):
Nej, du får inte titta på TV nu.(No, you are not allowed to watch TV now.) In this permission reading, får inte expresses prohibition. In other contexts it can describe not getting an opportunity.
2. Opportunity (Get to / Have the chance to)
This usage describes having the chance or opportunity to do something. It often carries a positive connotation.
I sommar får vi äntligen resa till Italien.(This summer we finally get to travel to Italy.)Han fick träffa kungen när han besökte staden.(He got to meet the king when he visited the city.)
Conjugation of fåfå is an irregular strong verb. The main verb that follows it is always in the infinitive.
- Present: får (`Jag får gå.`)
- Past (Preterite): fick (`Jag fick gå.`)
- Supine: fått (`Jag har fått gå.`)
Sentence Structure
When får or fick is the finite verb in a declarative main clause, it takes second constituent position, according to the verb-second rule. The infinitive verb comes later in the clause.
`Idag får jag sluta tidigt.` (Today I get to finish early.)
In a subordinate clause, it follows the BIFF rule.
`Hon är glad eftersom hon får träffa sina vänner.` (She is happy because she gets to meet her friends.)
Other Infinitive Readings
Få can also express an imposed necessity: Vi fick vänta länge (We had to wait a long time), or coming to hear, see or know something: Vi fick veta det igår. Context chooses the meaning. A different construction, få någon att göra något, means getting someone to do something and does include att after the object.
Examples (5)
- Får jag öppna fönstret?
May I open the window?
Word by Word: May I open the window?
Here,
fåris used to ask for permission. - Man får inte röka här inne.
You are not allowed to smoke in here.
Word by Word: One may not smoke here inside.
får inteexpresses a prohibition or rule. - Igår fick jag äntligen träffa min favoritförfattare.
Yesterday I finally got to meet my favorite author.
Word by Word: Yesterday got I finally meet my favorite author.
Here,
fick(the past tense offå) expresses a positive opportunity that occurred. - Om vi vinner får vi åka till finalen i Stockholm.
If we win, we get to go to the final in Stockholm.
Word by Word: If we win, get we to-go to the-final in Stockholm.
This example shows
fårused for a future opportunity, conditional on winning. - Hon fick inte följa med på festen för att hon var sjuk.
She wasn't allowed to go to the party because she was sick.
Word by Word: She got not follow with to the-party because that she was sick.
fick inteindicates a denial of permission or lack of opportunity in the past.
Common Mistakes
Confusing 'får inte' (must not) with 'behöver inte' (don't have to).
Du får inte diska, jag kan göra det sen.Du behöver inte diska, jag kan göra det sen.For the intended reassurance that washing up is unnecessary, use behöver inte. Får inte normally denies permission in this example and is not the same reassurance.
Using a finite present verb instead of an infinitive after får.
Får jag går på toaletten?Får jag gå på toaletten?Gå stays infinitive after får. Kan jag gå på toaletten? is also a grammatical permission request; kan is not restricted to physical ability.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand the 'få + infinitive' result construction (e.g., 'fick se'), you first need to be familiar with the verb 'få' itself and how it conjugates as a strong verb. You also need to understand the concept of the infinitive form of verbs, as this construction involves combining 'få' with another verb's base form to express that someone managed to or got the opportunity to do something.
- fårMay/get to
The verb 'få' is the core component of this construction, and its basic meaning of permission or possibility must be understood first.
Level 2 - Past tense (strong verbs)
The pattern 'få + infinitive' is frequently used in the past tense ('fick') to express result or achievement, requiring knowledge of the strong conjugation of 'få'.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- kanCan/be Able to
Kan expresses possibility or ability and can also ask permission: Kan jag gå nu? Får jag gå nu? asks directly whether permission is given. Context determines politeness.
Level 2 - behöver inteDon't Need to
In a permission context, får inte denies permission, while behöver inte removes necessity. Compare Du får inte gå (You may not leave) with Du behöver inte gå (You do not have to leave).
Level 4 - måsteMust/have to
Måste describes necessity. Få can also mean having to do something, as in Vi fick vänta länge, so the verbs are not always semantic opposites.
Level 2 - attTo (Infinitive Marker)
Like other modal verbs,
Level 1fåis followed by an infinitive verb without the infinitive marker att. For example, you sayJag får gå, notJag får att gå. - Verb-second rule
As a finite verb,
Level 3fårwill typically be in the second position in a main clause, following the verb-second rule.
Words in This Pattern
Practice få + Infinitive in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Swedish lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
