In this post, you will learn how to say ‘how are you?’ in Swedish. You’ll also learn common responses so you can respond if you’re asked this question. This can be really useful if you’re speaking with someone from Sweden or if you’re travelling there.
Swedish is a North Germanic language spoken predominantly in the Scandinavian country of Sweden, but also in some parts of Finland.
It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish but this varies on the dialect/accent of the speaker.
There are approximately 10 million speakers of Swedish.
Table of Contents
How To Say ‘How Are You?’ In Swedish
There are a few different ways to ask ‘how are you?’. Here are the most common:
In formal situations, such as in a business meeting or with people you don’t know, say:
| English | Swedish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| How are you? | Hur mår du? | Hur moh du |
| How’s it going? | Hur står det till? | Hur stor de til |
In more informal situations, such as with friends, say:
| English | Swedish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| How are you? | Hur är det? | Hur ar deht |
| How’s it going? | Hur är läget? | Hur ar laget |
| What’s up? (very informal) | Läget? | Laget |
How To Respond To ‘How Are You?’ In Swedish
There are many different ways that you can reply to this question. Below are the most common responses to this question. I’ve also included how to say ‘thank you’ as it’s polite to thank someone if they ask how you are.
| Thank you | Tack | Tak |
| I’m fine | Jag mår bra | Ya moh bra |
| I’m not good | Jag mår inte bra | Ya moh in-teh bra |
| I’m very well | Jag mår jättebra | Ya moh yet-teh-bra |
| Good/fine | Bra | Bra |
| I’m sleepy/tired | Jag är sömnig | Ya ar somnig |
| I’m sick | Jag är sjuk | Ya ar hewk |
| I’m sad | Jag är ledsen | Ya ar lesen |
| I’m happy | Jag är glad | Ya ar glod |
It’s also useful to know how to say ‘and you?’ or ‘what about you?’ to find out how someone else is if they ask you.
| English | Swedish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| And you? | Och du? | Oh du |
| And yourself? | Själv? | Hi-elv |
Check out the below video to hear the pronunciation of these phrases by a native:
Example Conversation:
Person 1: Hur är det? (How are you?)
Person 2: Jag mår bra, tack. Och du? (I’m fine, thanks. And you?)
Person 1: Jag mår bra (I’m fine)
Thanks for reading this post.
You should now know how to say ‘how are you?’ in Swedish and you should also be able to respond if you’re asked!
You can’t go wrong with these simple phrases.
Why not also learn the names of the different countries in Swedish too! This vocabulary can be very useful.
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