# Swedish: du kommer att få lämna fingeravtryck



## Gavril

Hi,

A document about extending one's residence permit in Sweden states that

_I samband med ansökning kommer du att få lämna fingeravtryck och bli fotograferad._

"In connection with applying, you will [?] be fingerprinted and photographed."

Is this a case where _få_ means "have to", rather than "be able/permitted to"?

I ask because the context suggests (though I'm not positive) that fingerprinting and photographing are a mandatory part of this application process.

Or, could _få_ still mean "be able to" here, even if what it is describing is mandatory?

Thanks


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## AutumnOwl

Yes, it's "have to", and it's mandatory. If it would be "be able to", I would expect "kommer du att ha möjlighet att lämna". To me "få" in official context is more often "have to" than "be able to".


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## jonquiliser

For a translation I think you could just say "...you will be fingerprinted and photographed" because in fact, the sentence in Swedish is just a statement of what will happen. It's obligatory but the obligation is implicit and not stated.


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## Segorian

jonquiliser said:


> For a translation I think you could just say "...you will be fingerprinted and photographed" because in fact, the sentence in Swedish is just a statement of what will happen. It's obligatory but the obligation is implicit and not stated.


Excellent observation. The only reason _bli_ isn’t used with the expression _lämna fingeravtryck_ (as it is with _fotograferad_) is that that is difficult to do. The sentence could have been written

_I samband med ansökning kommer dina fingeravtryck att *bli* tagna och du kommer att *bli* fotograferad._​
but that would have been quite clumsy.


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## Gavril

jonquiliser said:


> For a translation I think you could just say "...you will be fingerprinted and photographed" because in fact, the sentence in Swedish is just a statement of what will happen. It's obligatory but the obligation is implicit and not stated.



Is it a bit like saying "You can have your fingerprints and photo taken [which you have to do, anyway]"?


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## Segorian

Gavril said:


> Is it a bit like saying "You can have your fingerprints and photo taken [which you have to do, anyway]"?


No, it’s “You *will* have your fingerprints and photo taken”, given that the sentence is—like jonquiliser said—just a statement of what will happen.


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## Gavril

Segorian said:


> No, it’s “You *will* have your fingerprints and photo taken”, given that the sentence is—like jonquiliser said—just a statement of what will happen.



Right, that is the implied meaning of the sentence. But my question is, how do we arrive at that reading? I.e., is there a basic meaning of _få_ (besides "be permitted to") that allows that interpretation, or can we deduce it from something about the phrase/sentence that _få _appears in here?

Thanks again


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## Segorian

Gavril said:


> Right, that is the implied meaning of the sentence.


No, it’s the *explicit* meaning of the sentence.



Gavril said:


> how do we determine that _få lämna fingeravtryck_ doesn't mean "be allowed to submit your fingerprints"? Can this be deduced from the phrase that _få_ appears in (_kommer att få_), or from some other detail(s) of the sentence?


It’s partly the general context (no one is likely to _ask_ to have her/his fingerprints taken), partly the legal or official context, affecting the meaning of _få_ as pointed out by AutumnOwl above, and partly the juxtaposition with _bli fotograferad_, which unarguably refers to what will happen (and not to what will be allowed to happen).


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## jonquiliser

Simply put, _få_ is used in a kind of passive voice here. I'd say, though, that the implicit obligation comes from the use of the future. No matter what you want, this is what will happen. If the phrase were "Du får lämna dina fingeravtryck", it does not at all sound so binding but more like an option you have.


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## jonquiliser

Gavril said:


> But my question is, how do we arrive at that reading? I.e., is there a basic meaning of _få_ (besides "be permitted to") that allows that interpretation, or can we deduce it from something about the phrase/sentence that _få _appears in here?



And as a reply to this, yes, _få_ has several meanings, among others: to be allowed to (_du får komma - you are allowed to come _*or*_ you are invited to come)_; to get, receive, have (_du får en gåva _*but also e.g.*_ hon fick feber)_; be able to (e.g. _få bort en fläck, jag fick min uppgift färdig)_


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## Gavril

A final(?) thanks for helping clear up my confusion.


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## SJUKSTUGEFARm0R

I was thinking about this meaning of "få" the other day actually. It's not just in official language, you can say things like:

"Han får ta och komma nu"
"Du får lägga av med det där" <- this is a command, it's quite stern sounding to my ear, something a parent would say


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## Wilma_Sweden

One English expression that often translates with 'få' is 'get to do something', e.g.(*)


> I didn't get to sit down all day.
> Do I get to stay up late when Dad comes home from his business trip?


Jag fick inte sitta ner på hela dagen.
Får jag vara uppe sent när pappa kommer hem från sin affärsresa?

The meaning is of course not quite the same as in your example - here it's more a sense of opportunity given, or not, as the case may be.

(*) Samples borrowed from Longman's Dictionary


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