Question word questions
Use question words like Vem (Who) or Vad (What) to ask for specific information.
How It Works
To ask for specific information in Swedish, you start the sentence with a question word. This is different from yes/no questions, which start with a verb.
The most common question words are:
- Vad - What
- Vem - Who
- Var - Where
- När - When
- Hur - How
- Varför - Why
- Vilken/Vilket/Vilka - Which
If the opening question phrase is not the subject, the finite verb normally comes next, followed by the subject. This is a fundamental rule in Swedish called the verb-second rule.
Non-Subject Question: Question Phrase + Finite Verb + Subject + Rest of sentence?
Example: Var bor du? (Where do you live?)
When The Question Asks For The Subject
Vem kommer? means Who is coming? Vem is already the subject. Compare Vem träffar du? (Who are you meeting?), where du is the subject and vem asks for the object.
An Embedded Question
Use ordinary subordinate order in Jag undrar var du bor (I wonder where you live). If the question phrase is the embedded subject, add som: Jag undrar vem som kommer. Do not copy direct-question inversion into these clauses.
Examples (6)
- Vad heter du?
What is your name?
Word by Word: What are-called you?
- Vem är det?
Who is it?
Word by Word: Who is it?
- Var bor du?
Where do you live?
Word by Word: Where live you?
- När börjar filmen?
When does the movie start?
Word by Word: When starts the-movie?
- Hur mår du?
How are you?
Word by Word: How feel you?
- Varför är du ledsen?
Why are you sad?
Word by Word: Why are you sad?
Common Mistakes
Forgetting to put the verb before the subject after the question word.
Var du bor?Var bor du?For the ordinary direct question Where do you live?, use Var bor du? Here var is not the subject, so bor precedes du. Var du bor is instead the order in an embedded question such as Jag undrar var du bor.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To form wh-questions in Swedish, you need to understand how to conjugate basic verbs and be familiar with common question words like 'vad' (what) or 'var' (where). Most importantly, you must understand Swedish word order, as the verb must follow the question word, causing the subject to move after the verb.
Related Patterns
- Verb-second rule
In ordinary direct wh-questions the finite verb follows the first question constituent, which may contain several words. A subject question such as Vem kommer? has no additional subject after the verb.
Level 3 - Yes/no question formation
This is the other main type of question. While wh-questions ask for specific information and start with a question word, yes/no questions ask for a 'yes' or 'no' answer and start with the verb.
Level 1 - Basic pronouns
You will often use basic pronouns like 'du' (you), 'han' (he), or 'det' (it) as the subject in these questions.
Foundations - Basic verb conjugation
The verb in a question must be correctly conjugated for the present tense (or another tense). For example, 'bor' is the present tense of 'att bo' (to live).
Foundations - Word order basics
Understanding wh-question structure is a key part of learning basic Swedish word order, especially the verb-second rule in main clauses.
Foundations
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Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Question word questions in Bubblegum
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