attinfinitive

Attinfinitive, or the att-infinitive, is a term used in Swedish grammar to describe the non-finite infinitive clause introduced by the particle att. It marks the infinitive form of a verb and is used to form subordinate clauses and infinitive phrases. In this construction, the verb appears in its base, non-conjugated form, and the clause as a whole does not have tense, person, or number marking.

In Swedish, the att-infinitive is common after verbs, adjectives, and nouns that require an infinitive complement, as well as after certain prepositional phrases. Examples include det är viktigt att läsa (it is important to read), jag har något att göra (I have something to do), and att läsa öppnar möjligheter (reading opens opportunities). The att-infinitive can function as the subject or the object of a sentence, or as a modifier in noun phrases such as ett mål att uppnå (a goal to achieve).

A key distinction is that att-infinitive clauses are non-finite: they do not inflect for person or tense. This contrasts with finite clauses in the main sentence. In many contexts, the att-infinitive can be omitted after modal verbs or in informal speech, where the bare infinitive is used instead (jag kan läsa, I can read).

Cross-linguistic note: the concept is parallel in other North Germanic languages, with Danish and Norwegian using at or å as their infinitive marker, serving a similar function to svenska att.

See also: infinitive, non-finite clause, subordinate clause.