hur
How
Use 'hur' to ask 'how' in Swedish.
How It Works
'hur' is one of the most common question words in Swedish. It directly translates to 'how'. You use it to ask about the way something is done, the state of someone or something, or to ask for a description.
When you start a question with 'hur', you must follow the verb-second rule. This places the finite verb after the whole question phrase, not necessarily immediately after hur.
Common uses:
- Asking about well-being: Hur mår du? (How are you?)
- Asking about a process: Hur gör man? (How does one do it?)
- Asking for a description: Hur var filmen? (How was the movie?)
'hur' is also used in combination with other words to ask about quantity or amount:
- Hur mycket? - How much? (for amounts, degree, or price, as in
Hur mycket kostar det?) - Hur många? - How many? (for countable nouns)
Direct and Embedded QuestionsHur mår du? is a direct question. In Jag undrar hur du mår (I wonder how you are), the embedded question keeps the subject before the finite verb. A question phrase can itself be the subject: Hur många barn kommer? (How many children are coming?) has no separate subject to invert. In conversation, short questions such as Hur då? (How so?) need no finite verb.
Examples (5)
- Hur mår du?
How are you?
Word by Word: How feel you?
- Hur kommer jag till stationen?
How do I get to the station?
Word by Word: How come I to the-station?
- Hur var din semester?
How was your vacation?
Word by Word: How was your vacation?
- Hur mycket kostar det?
How much does it cost?
Word by Word: How much costs it?
- Hur många böcker har du?
How many books do you have?
Word by Word: How many books have you?
Common Mistakes
Using embedded-question order for a normal direct question about someone’s well-being.
Hur du mår?Hur mår du?Use
Hur mår du?for the ordinary direct question. The wordshur du mårare grammatical inside an embedded question, as inJag undrar hur du mår, and may occur in conversational fragments. The correction here concerns the intended ordinary direct question.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'hur' (how) effectively, you should first understand basic Swedish word order for questions and how to conjugate simple verbs to complete the sentence.
Related Patterns
- vadWhat
Like 'hur', 'vad' (what) is a fundamental question word used to form basic questions.
Level 1 - varWhere
'var' (where) is another essential question word. Learning 'hur', 'vad', and 'var' together helps build a foundation for asking questions.
Level 1 - närWhen
Level 1Närasks about time, whilehurasks about manner, condition, or degree. Both help form everyday questions. - varförWhy
'varför' (why) is another one of the most common question words in Swedish.
Level 1 - Verb-second rule
An ordinary direct question places the whole question phrase before the finite verb:
Level 3Hur många böcker har du?The phrase can contain several words; embedded questions have a different pattern.
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice hur in Bubblegum
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