inte

Not

Level 1

Subject-first: Jag kan inte komma.
Inversion: I dag kan jag inte komma.
Subordinate: eftersom jag inte kan komma.

How It Works

Inte is the ordinary clause-negation word in Swedish, corresponding to not in English.

Position in Main Clauses
In the basic subject-first main clause shown here, inte follows the finite verb. The pattern is:
Subject + Verb + inte

  • Jag talar inte svenska. (I do not speak Swedish.)
  • Hon är inte trött. (She is not tired.)

This rule is a key part of Swedish word order.

Position in Questions
In yes/no questions, the verb moves to the first position, but inte still follows the verb (and the subject). The structure is:
Verb + Subject + inte?

  • Talar du inte svenska? (Don't you speak Swedish?)
  • Är han inte här? (Isn't he here?)

Declarative main clauses normally have V2 order. Ordinary yes/no questions have a different, verb-first pattern.

With Helper Verbs
In a basic subject-first main clause with a helper (auxiliary) verb like kan (can), ska (will), or vill (want), inte comes after the helper verb.

  • Jag kan inte simma. (I cannot swim.)
  • Vi ska inte gå. (We will not go.)

Two Useful Extensions
In ordinary subordinate order, use eftersom jag inte förstår. With an unstressed object pronoun in a simple main clause, use Jag förstår den inte. Negation can also focus on one expression: inte i dag utan i morgon (not today but tomorrow).

Examples (5)

  1. Jag gillar inte kaffe.

    I don't like coffee.

    Word by Word: I like not coffee.

  2. Hon är inte från Sverige.

    She is not from Sweden.

    Word by Word: She is not from Sweden.

  3. Vi kan inte komma på festen.

    We can't come to the party.

    Word by Word: We can not come to the-party.

  4. Regnar det inte idag?

    Isn't it raining today?

    Word by Word: Rains it not today?

  5. Barnen sover inte än.

    The children are not sleeping yet.

    Word by Word: The-children sleep not yet.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting inte after a full noun object in the ordinary neutral pattern.

    Jag förstår lektionen inte.
    Jag förstår inte lektionen.

    With the full object lektionen, Jag förstår inte lektionen is the ordinary order. Do not generalize this to a ban on sentence-final inte: Jag förstår den inte is normal with an unstressed object pronoun. Inte can also occur alone or in a final conversational addition.

  • Placing 'inte' before the verb in a main clause.

    Han inte vill äta.
    Han vill inte äta.

    For an ordinary subject-first declarative clause, use Han vill inte äta. Ordinary subordinate order instead has inte before vill: eftersom han inte vill äta.

How It Connects

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

inteLevel 1Not

Learn This First

To use 'inte' correctly, you need to understand basic Swedish word order (V2 rule) and how to conjugate simple verbs, as the negation is typically placed immediately after the finite verb in a main clause.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

And 3 more in the full list.

Words in This Pattern

inte