Breakdown of Jag har hjälpt mina föräldrar hela morgonen.
jag
I
ha
to have
morgonen
the morning
mina
my
hjälpa
to help
föräldern
the parent
hel
whole
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Swedish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Jag har hjälpt mina föräldrar hela morgonen.
Why does this sentence use present perfect (har hjälpt) when in English I would say “I helped”?
In Swedish the present perfect (har + supine) is used more often than in English. It describes a past action with relevance or continuation into the present. There is no separate continuous form in Swedish, so Jag har hjälpt mina föräldrar hela morgonen can cover both “I have helped my parents all morning” and “I have been helping my parents all morning.” Using the simple past hjälpte would just state a completed action without implying ongoing relevance.
What is hjälpt? Why isn’t it hjälpte?
Hjälpt is the supine form of the verb hjälpa. Swedish forms the perfect tense with har + supine, not with the past tense. The past tense is hjälpte (simple past), while hjälpt (supine) pairs with har to make the perfect.
Why do we say mina föräldrar instead of min föräldrar?
Swedish possessive adjectives agree in number. Förälder (parent) is singular, föräldrar (parents) is plural. The possessive for jag is min with a singular noun and mina with a plural noun. Hence mina föräldrar = “my parents.”
Why is it hela morgonen and not alla morgnarna?
Hela morgonen means “the whole morning” (one specific morning). Hela always takes the definite singular noun (hela dagen, hela livet, hela morgonen). Alla morgnarna would translate to “all of the mornings” (plural repetition), which is a different meaning.
Do I need a preposition like i before hela morgonen?
No. When expressing a duration with hela, Swedish omits the preposition: hela morgonen, hela dagen, hela veckan. You can say i hela morgonen, but it’s less common and often redundant.
Where can I place hela morgonen in the sentence?
Swedish main clauses follow the V2 rule (finite verb in second position). Since Jag is the subject, the verb phrase har hjälpt stays in position two. You can put hela morgonen at the end (Jag har hjälpt mina föräldrar hela morgonen) or between the verb parts (Jag har hela morgonen hjälpt mina föräldrar) for emphasis on the duration.
Could I say Jag hjälpte mina föräldrar hela morgonen instead?
Yes, but that uses the simple past. Jag hjälpte mina föräldrar hela morgonen simply reports a completed action in the past. Jag har hjälpt… adds a nuance of present relevance (for example you’re still tired or they still need help).