Breakdown of Behöver du medicin, eller mår du bra?
du
you
eller
or
bra
good
behöva
to need
medicinen
the medicine
må
to feel
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Questions & Answers about Behöver du medicin, eller mår du bra?
Is the comma before eller necessary?
No. In modern Swedish you usually skip the comma before och and eller when linking two clauses. Both versions are acceptable:
- Behöver du medicin eller mår du bra? (most common)
- Behöver du medicin, eller mår du bra? (adds a slight pause in speech)
Why does the verb come before the subject in both clauses?
Yes–no questions in Swedish put the finite verb first (V1), then the subject:
- Statement: Du behöver medicin.
- Question: Behöver du medicin? Same for the second clause: Mår du bra?
Could I end the question with eller? as a tag?
Yes. Behöver du medicin, eller? is a common informal tag meaning roughly or not? or right?. Use it after a single yes–no question. Note that eller hur? is a different tag and typically follows a statement, e.g., Du mår bra, eller hur?
Why isn’t there att after behöver?
Because behöva can take either:
- a noun object: Behöver du medicin?
- or an infinitive with att: Behöver du att vila? (less common) / more idiomatic: Behöver du vila? The most natural with verbs is usually without att: Behöver du ta medicin?
What’s the difference between behöver and måste?
- behöver = need (necessity, suitability): Behöver du medicin?
- måste = must/have to (obligation): Måste du ta medicin? They can overlap, but måste is stronger and more obligatory.
Is medicin countable? When would I use plural or an article?
- As an uncountable mass noun (most common): Behöver du medicin?, lite medicin
- With an article when you mean a type/remedy: en medicin (a medicine), den här medicinen (this medicine)
- Plural for different medicines/types: mediciner, några mediciner For pills or doses, use specific words: en tablett, en dos.
What’s the difference between medicin and läkemedel?
- medicin is the everyday word.
- läkemedel is more formal/technical (drug/medicinal product). It’s an ett‑word whose singular and plural look the same: ett läkemedel, flera läkemedel.
Why is it mår du bra and not är du bra?
Health and well‑being use må:
- mår du bra?, Jag mår bra. är du bra? means are you good (at something) and is not used for health. For health as a state you can also say Är du frisk? (Are you healthy?).
What other words collocate with mår?
Common combinations:
- mår bra (feel well)
- mår dåligt (feel bad, unwell)
- mår illa (feel nauseous)
- mår bättre/sämre (feel better/worse) Note the adverb form: dåligt, not dålig.
How do you conjugate må and behöva?
- må: infinitive må, present mår, past mådde, supine mått
- behöva: infinitive behöva, present behöver, past behövde, supine behövt Swedish verbs don’t change with person: jag/du/han… behöver/mår.
Where does inte go if I want to negate?
Put inte after the finite verb:
- Behöver du inte medicin?
- Mår du inte bra? In answers: Nej, det behöver jag inte. / Nej, jag mår inte bra.
Can I drop du like in some casual English questions?
Not in standard Swedish. You normally need the subject pronoun:
- Correct: Behöver du medicin?
- Non‑standard/elliptical: Behöver medicin? (may occur in notes/signs, but avoid in normal speech/writing)
What about the position of bra? Could I say Bra mår du?
In neutral word order, adverbs like bra follow the verb:
- Mår du bra? / Jag mår bra. Fronted Bra mår du is possible only for special emphasis and is not used as a normal question.
How should I pronounce the tricky vowels and consonants here?
- ö in Behöver: rounded vowel like English er in bird but with rounded lips.
- å in mår: like aw in saw (often long here).
- c in medicin: pronounced s before i (so meh-deh-seen). Stress: Be-HÖ-ver, medi-CIN, and a long vowel in mår and bra. r is typically tapped/trilled in many accents, uvular in some.
How does intonation work in this kind of either–or question?
Typically a rise on the first alternative and a fall on the second:
- Rise: Behöver du medicin …
- Fall: … eller mår du bra? If you use the tag … eller?, the intonation usually rises at the end.
Could I tweak wording for nuance or politeness?
Yes, for example:
- Add indefiniteness: Behöver du någon medicin? (Do you need any medicine?)
- Softer/polite: Skulle du behöva medicin? / Vill du ha medicin?
- Plural address: Behöver ni medicin?
- Separate into two questions for clarity: Mår du bra? Behöver du medicin?