Har du redan ätit?

you

Breakdown of Har du redan ätit?

• ha: to have
• äta: to eat
• redan: already

Questions & Answers about Har du redan ätit?

Why is har at the beginning instead of du har?

In Swedish yes/no questions you must place the finite verb in the first position (the “V2” rule). That means the auxiliary har moves to the front and the subject du follows.

What is ätit? How does it relate to äter and åt?

Ätit is the supine (past participle) of äta and is used with har to form the perfect.

• Äter is the present tense (“eat”/“are eating”),
• Åt is the simple past (“ate”),
• Har ätit = “have eaten.”

Why is har + ätit used rather than using the simple past åt?

Swedish distinguishes perfect and simple past:

• Åt simply states that an action happened in the past.
• Har ätit (“have eaten”) indicates the action is completed with relevance to the present moment (for example, you’re not hungry now).

Where does redan go in the sentence and can it move elsewhere?