Questions & Answers about Jag lär mig svenska varje dag.
Why is there a reflexive pronoun in “lär mig”? What does it do?
Swedish uses the reflexive verb lära sig to mean “to learn.” Literally it’s “teach oneself.” Without the reflexive pronoun, lära means “to teach.” So:
- Jag lär mig … = I learn …
- Jag lär … = I teach …
In the sentence, mig (myself) is required to get the “learn” meaning.
Can I say “Jag lär svenska” instead?
How does “lära sig” change with different subjects?
The verb stays lär in present, but the reflexive pronoun changes:
- Jag lär mig
- Du lär dig
- Han/hon/hen lär sig
- Vi lär oss
- Ni lär er
- De lär sig
Where does the reflexive pronoun go when there’s another verb (like want, can, going to)?
With a modal or auxiliary, the reflexive pronoun attaches to the infinitive lära, not the modal:
- Jag vill lära mig svenska. (not “Jag mig vill …”)
- Jag ska lära mig svenska.
- Jag har lärt mig svenska.
- Jag började lära mig svenska.
How do I negate this? Where does “inte” go?
Place inte after the finite verb and after any object pronoun, but before a full noun object:
- Jag lär mig inte svenska varje dag. Here, the pronoun mig comes before inte, and the noun svenska comes after it.
Does Swedish have a separate “-ing” (progressive) tense?
No. Swedish present covers both “I learn” and “I am learning.” If you want to stress an ongoing process, you can say:
- Jag håller på att lära mig svenska.
Why isn’t “svenska” capitalized?
Do I need an article before “svenska”?
Can I use “svenskan” here?
Can I move “varje dag” earlier in the sentence?
Yes. For emphasis on time, front it and obey the verb‑second rule:
- Neutral: Jag lär mig svenska varje dag.
- Time-first: Varje dag lär jag mig svenska. Note that the finite verb (lär) must be second.
Why is it “varje dag” (singular), not “varje dagar”?
How do I pronounce the tricky parts?
- lär ≈ “lair,” with a long “e” sound [lɛːr]
- mig is usually pronounced like “mej” in everyday speech
- svenska ≈ “SVEN-ska” ([ˈsvɛn.ska]); the “sk” here is a plain “sk,” not “sh”
- varje ≈ “VAR-yeh” ([ˈvar.je])
- dag often [dɑːg] (g may be weak in some accents)
Could I use another verb instead of “lära sig”?
Yes, depending on nuance:
- läsa svenska = study Swedish (as a subject)
- plugga svenska = study/cram Swedish (colloquial)
- studera svenska = study Swedish (formal/academic)
- öva svenska = practice Swedish All work with varje dag: e.g., Jag läser svenska varje dag.
How do I say I’m teaching myself (self-study) every day?
You can add emphasis with:
- Jag lär mig svenska själv varje dag.
- Jag lär mig svenska på egen hand varje dag. Placing själv at the end emphasizes that you’re doing it on your own.
How do I turn it into a yes/no question?
Invert the subject and the verb (no “do”-support in Swedish):
- Lär jag mig svenska varje dag?
How do I say it in the past or present perfect?
- Simple past: Jag lärde mig svenska varje dag (over a past period)
- Present perfect: Jag har lärt mig svenska varje dag (typically with a time frame implied, e.g., “den senaste månaden”)
Is “vardag” the same as “varje dag”?
No. vardag = a weekday/ordinary day; varje dag = every day. Don’t confuse them:
- Jag lär mig svenska varje dag (every day)
- vardagar = weekdays (Mon–Fri)
Any synonyms for “varje dag”?
- varenda dag (every single day, stronger)
- dagligen (daily, formal/adverb): Jag lär mig svenska dagligen.
- var dag (each day, somewhat formal/poetic)
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