undra + Question Word

Wonder + Question

Level 3

Use undra (to wonder) + a question word like vad (what), var (where), or när (when) to express curiosity about something.

How It Works

The pattern undra + question word is a common way to form indirect questions in Swedish. It allows you to talk about what you are wondering without asking a direct question.

The verb undra is a regular -ar verb (undrar, undrade, undrat).

Structure and Word Order
The most important thing to remember is the word order in the clause that follows the question word. This is a subordinate clause, so it follows the subordinate clause word order, with the subject before the finite verb and an ordinary middle-field inte before that verb. BIFF itself names the adverb-before-finite-verb part of the pattern.

Compare a direct question with an indirect one:

  • Direct Question: Var är stationen? (Where is the station?)
    Here, the verb är comes second, following the V2 rule.
  • Indirect Question: Jag undrar var stationen är. (I wonder where the station is.)
    Here, in the subordinate clause var stationen är, the subject stationen comes before the verb är.

This pattern is a key part of reported speech.

Common Question Words Used:

  • vad (what)
  • vem (who)
  • var (where)
  • när (when)
  • hur (how)
  • varför (why)
  • vilken/vilket/vilka (which)
  • For a yes/no question, use the subjunction om (whether), rather than a question word.

Example with om: Jag undrar om han kommer imorgon. (I wonder if he is coming tomorrow.)

When The Question Phrase Is The Subject
Use som: Jag undrar vem som kommer (I wonder who is coming). Do not add another subject after som unless it belongs to a different construction. Compare the object question Jag undrar vem hon träffade (I wonder whom she met), where hon is the subject.

These examples teach standard embedded-question order. Direct-question order is also heard in some informal reported questions, but it is not the neutral written pattern to copy here.

Examples (5)

  1. Jag undrar vad klockan är.

    I wonder what time it is.

    Word by Word: I wonder what the-clock is.

  2. Hon undrar varför bussen är sen.

    She wonders why the bus is late.

    Word by Word: She wonders why the-bus is late.

  3. Vi undrade om du ville följa med på bio.

    We were wondering if you wanted to come along to the cinema.

    Word by Word: We wondered if you wanted to follow with to cinema.

    Undrade is past tense. Om is the subjunction whether introducing an indirect yes/no question; it is not a question word and does not introduce a condition here.

  4. Han undrar hur man lagar den här rätten.

    He wonders how one cooks this dish.

    Word by Word: He wonders how one cooks this here the-dish.

  5. De undrar vem som vann matchen.

    They wonder who won the match.

    Word by Word: They wonder who that won the-match.

    Vem is the subject of vann. An embedded subject question requires som after the question phrase: vem som vann, unlike direct Vem vann?

Common Mistakes

  • Using direct question word order (V2) in the subordinate clause.

    Jag undrar var är mina nycklar.
    Jag undrar var mina nycklar är.

    After 'undra' and a question word, the following clause is a subordinate clause. In subordinate clauses, the subject ('mina nycklar') must come before the verb ('är'). The incorrect example follows the word order of a direct question ('Var är mina nycklar?').

How It Connects

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

undra + Question WordLevel 3Wonder + Question

Learn This First

To use 'undra' (to wonder) with a question word, you need to understand how to form basic wh-questions and how those questions transform into subordinate clauses with specific word order (indirect questions), including the placement of negations.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

undra