A couple of weeks ago a commenter was asking about the use of \u201cvill,\u201d so we thought we would put together a quick overview of some other helping verbs used in Swedish.<\/p>\n
Below you will find a quick list of some common helping verbs:
\nVill = to want to
\nBeh\u00f6ver = to need to
\nSka = to have to
\nKan = to be able
\nF\u00e5r = to be allowed to
\nBrukar = usually (used to)
\nM\u00e5ste = to have to (must)<\/p>\n
Usually when making simple statements in Swedish, we follow the simple SVO word order (Subject, Verb, Object). When we begin using helping verbs, we follow that general pattern but add a second verb. That second verb is used in the infinitive. For example:<\/p>\n
Subject \u2013 Verb \u2013 Verb (Infinitive) \u2013 Object
\nHan vill \u00e5ka till Sverige.
\nHe wants to travel to Sweden.<\/p>\n
\u201cVill\u201d is in the present tense and \u201c\u00e5ka\u201d is in the infinitive form.<\/p>\n
If we are writing short questions in Swedish, we follow the VSO word order (Verb, Subject, Object). When using a helping verb, we once again follow a similar pattern with a slight addition. The helping verb is used in the present tense to start the sentence and the second verb is put in the infinitive form between the subject and the object. For example:<\/p>\n
Verb + Subject + Verb (Infinitive) + Object
\nVill han \u00e5ka till Sverige?
\nDoes he want to travel to Sweden?<\/p>\n
Again, \u201cvill\u201d is in the present tense and \u201c\u00e5ka\u201d is in the infinitive form.<\/p>\n
And finally, sometimes we like to add the classic question words to the question like who, what, when, where, why, and how. In that case, we follow the above formula Verb + Subject + Verb (Infinitive) + Object and just add the question word to the beginning of the question. Pretty straightforward really. So, using the same example sentence as above:<\/p>\n
Question Word + Verb + Subject +Verb (Infinitive) + Object
\nVarf\u00f6r vill han \u00e5ka till Sverige?
\nWhy does he want to travel to Sweden?<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll notice that the sentence is exactly the same as above with \u201cvill\u201d in the present tense, \u201c\u00e5ka\u201d in the infinitive form. The only addition is the question word \u201cvarf\u00f6r\u201d at the beginning of the sentence.<\/p>\n
Now you\u2019re ready to start putting together more complex sentences with more than one verb. Good luck!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A couple of weeks ago a commenter was asking about the use of \u201cvill,\u201d so we thought we would put together a quick overview of some other helping verbs used in Swedish. Below you will find a quick list of some common helping verbs: Vill = to want to Beh\u00f6ver = to need to Ska…<\/p>\n