ämnar + Infinitive

Intend to (Formal)

Level 4

Use ämnar + an infinitive verb to formally say you 'intend to' do something. Example: Jag ämnar resa. (I intend to travel.)

How It Works

Ämnar is a verb used to express a formal intention. It's the direct equivalent of the English "intend to" or "plan to" and often sounds more formal than tänker. You will rarely hear it in casual conversation, but it's common in official documents, news reports, and formal speeches.

Key Characteristics:

  • Formality: This is its most important feature. Using ämnar immediately elevates the tone of the sentence. For everyday plans, use tänker or ska instead.
  • Structure: It functions like a modal verb. It is followed directly by the main verb in its infinitive form, without the infinitive marker att.

Conjugation:

  • Infinitive: ämna
  • Present: ämnar
  • Past (Preterite): ämnade
  • Supine: ämnat

Examples in different tenses:

  • Present: `Styrelsen ämnar fatta ett beslut nästa vecka.` (The board intends to make a decision next week.)
  • Past: `De ämnade ursprungligen bygga en bro.` (They originally intended to build a bridge.)

Ämnar can also be used in conversation, including deliberately formal or playful speech. It states an intention, not a guarantee that the plan will happen.

Examples (4)

  1. Regeringen ämnar införa nya skatteregler.

    The government intends to introduce new tax rules.

    Word by Word: The government intends introduce new tax-rules.

    A typical example from a formal context like news or politics. ämnar is followed directly by the infinitive införa.

  2. Jag ämnar slutföra rapporten innan fredag.

    I intend to complete the report before Friday.

    Word by Word: I intend complete the report before Friday.

    This sounds like a formal declaration in a professional setting.

  3. Företaget ämnade lansera produkten i maj, men stötte på problem.

    The company intended to launch the product in May, but ran into problems.

    Word by Word: The company intended launch the product in May, but bumped on problems.

    This example uses the past tense ämnade to talk about a past intention.

  4. Vad ämnar ni göra åt saken?

    What do you intend to do about the matter?

    Word by Word: What intend you do about the-matter?

    Ämnar gives this question a formal or deliberate tone. It is not restricted to a courtroom or official inquiry.

Common Mistakes

  • Inflecting the verb after ämnar as another present tense.

    Jag ämnar går och fikar med en kompis.
    Jag ämnar gå och fika med en kompis.

    Ämnar is finite; the following coordinated verbs are infinitives, gå and fika. The correct sentence is grammatical, though tänker is a more neutral everyday choice.

  • Incorrectly adding att after ämnar.

    De ämnar att bygga ett nytt kontor.
    De ämnar bygga ett nytt kontor.

    Like modal verbs (kan, ska, vill), ämnar is followed directly by the infinitive form of the verb without the marker att.

How It Connects

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

ämnar + InfinitiveLevel 4Intend to (Formal)

Learn This First

The pattern 'ämnar + infinitive' is used in formal or written Swedish to express intention. To use it correctly, a learner needs to understand how to conjugate verbs in the present tense and how to use the infinitive form of a verb as a complement. It is functionally identical to the more common 'tänker + infinitive', so familiarity with that structure is highly recommended.

Words in This Pattern

ämna