Breakdown of Kan du ta med mer vatten, för säkerhets skull?
du
you
vattnet
the water
kunna
can
ta med
to bring
mer
more
för säkerhets skull
just to be safe
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Questions & Answers about Kan du ta med mer vatten, för säkerhets skull?
What does ta med mean in this sentence?
ta med is a two-word verb meaning “to take along” or “to bring.” In this context, Kan du ta med mer vatten literally asks “Can you bring along more water?”
Why is mer used with vatten instead of fler?
vatten is an uncountable (mass) noun in Swedish, so you use mer (the comparative of mycket, “much”). fler is for countable nouns (e.g., fler flaskor, “more bottles”).
What does för säkerhets skull mean, and how would you translate it?
Literally it’s “for safety’s sake,” but idiomatically it means “just in case.” So the full sentence can be rendered as “Can you bring more water, just in case?”
Why is there a comma before för säkerhets skull?
The comma marks för säkerhets skull as a parenthetical or adverbial phrase—extra information explaining the reason for the request. In English we’d also pause before “just in case.”
How do you pronounce säkerhets and skull, and is skull related to English “skull”?
säkerhets sounds roughly like /ˈsɛ̂ː.kɛr.hets/ and skull like /skʊl/. The Swedish skull is not related to the English “skull” (head bone); it’s a noun dating back to Old Norse, meaning “purpose” or “sake.”
Why does the sentence begin with Kan du instead of a more direct verb form?
Starting with Kan du (“Can you”) makes it a polite question/request. In Swedish everyday speech, Kan du…? is common and softens the request.
Could you say Skulle du kunna ta med mer vatten instead, and is that more polite?
Yes. Skulle du kunna…? is a conditional form (“Would you be able to…?”) and is slightly more formal or polite, but Kan du…? is perfectly acceptable in most contexts.
Is it possible to omit du and say Kan ta med mer vatten?
No. Swedish normally requires the subject pronoun in questions like this. You need du: Kan du ta med mer vatten?
Why is vatten used without any article or measure word?
When you ask for “more water” in general, you don’t need an article or measure word. If you meant “more of the water we already have,” you could say mer av vattnet, but here it’s “additional water” in general.
What’s the difference between ta med and ha med?
ta med focuses on the action “to bring” something with you. ha med (“have along”) stresses possession during the event (“to have something with you”). In requests to bring something, ta med is more common.