Infinitive relative

Level 5

Use an infinitive phrase (e.g., att läsa) after a noun to describe what can or should be done with it. It's the Swedish equivalent of English phrases like 'something to do' or 'a book to read'.

How It Works

The relative infinitive is a concise and common way to create a relative clause that describes a noun. It specifies a potential, intended, or necessary action related to that noun.

Structure:
Noun + att + Infinitive Verb (+ Preposition)

This construction is often a shorter alternative to a full relative clause using som.

  • `Jag har en bok att läsa.` (I have a book to read.)
  • This is equivalent to: `Jag har en bok som jag kan/ska läsa.` (I have a book that I can/should read.)

In en bok att läsa, the book is the understood object of läsa. In en penna att skriva med, the pen supplies the understood complement of med. The person performing the action is supplied by the surrounding context.

Common Contexts:
This pattern is frequently used in several situations:
1. After indefinite pronouns like något (something), inget (nothing), allt (everything), mycket (a lot), lite (a little).
`Vi har mycket att göra idag.` (We have a lot to do today.)
2. Related infinitive complements occur after words for an opportunity or reason, such as en chans and en anledning. They specify the opportunity or reason, rather than making that noun the object of the infinitive. The fixed pattern `Det är dags att gå(It's time to go) is another related construction, not an example of “time” being the object ofgå`.
3. With expressions like den/det första, den/det sista, den/det enda (the first, the last, the only).
`Han var den sista att lämna festen.(He was the last to leave the party.) Here the person identified byden sistais the understood subject oflämna, unlike the object inen bok att läsa`.

Important Note on Prepositions:
If the verb in the underlying relative clause would require a preposition, keep that preposition to express the intended relation, as in the chair and pen examples below. With some words for place, time, or method, a preposition can be omitted: ett sätt att göra det (på) or ett ställe att bo (på). This is a common point of error for learners.

  • `Jag behöver en stol att sitta på.` (I need a chair to sit on.)
    (Because you sit on a chair: `...en stol som jag kan sitta på`.)
  • `Har du en penna att skriva med?` (Do you have a pen to write with?)
    (Because you write with a pen: `...en penna som jag kan skriva med`.)

Meaning and Usage Contrast
Jag behöver en bok för att läsa. / Jag behöver en bok att läsa.
En bok att läsa describes the book as something to read. Jag behöver en bok för att läsa can instead mean “I need a book in order to read”: the purpose clause explains the need. Both structures can be grammatical, but they organize the meaning differently.

Examples (6)

  1. Jag har inget att göra.

    I have nothing to do.

    Word by Word: I have nothing to do.

  2. Kan du ge mig något att dricka?

    Can you give me something to drink?

    Word by Word: Can you give me something to drink?

  3. Det är dags att gå hem.

    It's time to go home.

    Word by Word: It is time to go home.

    Det är dags att gå hem is a related fixed infinitive construction meaning “It is time to go home”. It is not an object-relative infinitive: dags is not something that one goes.

  4. Jag letar efter en penna att skriva med.

    I'm looking for a pen to write with.

    Word by Word: I look for a pen to write with.

    The preposition 'med' is necessary because one writes 'with' a pen (skriva med en penna).

  5. Finns det något bra ställe att äta på här i närheten?

    Is there a good place to eat at nearby?

    Word by Word: Is there some good place to eat on here in the-vicinity?

    The final på explicitly links eating to the place (äta på ett ställe). Place expressions can also allow an omitted preposition; retaining it makes the relation clear here.

  6. Det finns många böcker att välja mellan.

    There are many books to choose between.

    Word by Word: There are many books to choose between.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a finite verb inside an infinitive modifier.

    Jag behöver en penna att skriver med.
    Jag behöver en penna att skriva med.

    Use infinitive skriva after the marker att. Final med connects the pen to its role as the writing instrument. Some place or method modifiers allow an omitted preposition, but that does not allow a finite verb after infinitival att.

How It Connects

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

Infinitive relativeLevel 5

Learn This First

The relative infinitive (e.g., 'något att äta') is a construction where an infinitive phrase acts like a relative clause to describe a noun or pronoun. To learn this, learners need to be familiar with the infinitive marker 'att', basic verb forms, and indefinite pronouns like 'något' which often serve as the head of the construction.

Words in This Pattern