Yes/no questions
To ask a yes/no question, simply put the verb first (before the subject). No auxiliary verb like English 'do' is needed.
Talar du svenska?
Do you speak Swedish?
Är hon hemma?
Is she at home?
Har ni bokat bord?
Have you booked a table?
Compare: 'Du talar svenska.' (statement) vs 'Talar du svenska?' (question). Just swap subject and verb.
Wh-questions
For questions with a question word (vem, vad, var, när, hur, vilken, varför), the question word goes first and the verb comes second — the V2 rule still applies.
| Swedish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Vad | What | Vad gör du? (What are you doing?) |
| Var | Where | Var bor du? (Where do you live?) |
| Vem | Who | Vem är det? (Who is it?) |
| När | When | När kommer du? (When are you coming?) |
| Hur | How | Hur mår du? (How are you?) |
| Varför | Why | Varför gråter hon? (Why is she crying?) |
| Vilken/Vilket/Vilka | Which | Vilken buss går dit? (Which bus goes there?) |
Indirect questions
In indirect questions (reported questions), word order changes: the subject goes BEFORE the verb, and 'om' introduces yes/no questions.
Jag undrar om du talar svenska.
I wonder if you speak Swedish.
Vet du var hon bor?
Do you know where she lives?
Practice
Test yourself — 6 quick exercises on this topic.
1 of 6
Fill in the blank:
___ gör du? (What are you doing?)