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Jag mår bra.

Jag mår bra.
I feel good.
FromLesson 6inHardcore Swedish
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Breakdown of Jag mår bra.

jag
I
bra
good
må
to feel
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More from this lesson

Får jag ringa dig nu?Du får inte komma sent.bordeVi borde börja nu.sjukDu borde stanna hemma om du är sjuk.friskHon är sjuk idag, men imorgon är hon frisk.

Questions & Answers about Jag mår bra.

Why do you say Jag mår bra instead of Jag är bra?
Swedish uses the verb må (present mår) to talk about well-being. Jag mår bra = I feel well/I’m doing fine. Jag är bra literally means I am good (e.g., skilled or morally good). Use Jag är bra with abilities: Jag är bra på tennis, but not as a reply to “How are you?”
How do you pronounce the sentence?
  • Jag: often [jɑːɡ], but in casual speech commonly [jɑ] or [ja] (the g is weak or dropped).
  • mår: [moːr]. The å is a long vowel like the o in English “more” (without r-coloring). The r is pronounced.
  • bra: [brɑː], with a clear r (tapped/trilled in many accents). Natural prosody puts the main stress on mår and bra: Ja(g) mår BRA.
What are the forms of the verb må (“to feel”)?
  • Infinitive: må
  • Present: mår
  • Past (preterite): mådde
  • Supine (used with har): mått Examples:
  • Jag mår bra.
  • Jag mådde bra i går.
  • Jag har mått bra länge. Note: There is also an old-fashioned auxiliary må meaning “may” in set phrases (e.g., Må det gå dig väl), unrelated to well-being.
Is bra an adjective or an adverb? Why doesn’t it change?

Bra is invariable and works as both:

  • As an adverb/complement after mår: Jag mår bra.
  • As an adjective: en bra bok, ett bra hus, bra böcker (no endings). Comparatives are irregular: bättre (better), bäst (best). Example: Jag mår bättre i dag.
How do I say it in the negative, and what’s the nuance between Jag mår inte bra and Jag mår dåligt?
  • Standard negation in a main clause: subject + verb + inte → Jag mår inte bra. (“I’m not well,” often mild or neutral.)
  • Jag mår dåligt. is stronger and often implies being unwell/sick or in poor mental state. In a subordinate clause the order changes: …att jag inte mår bra.
How do I ask about someone’s well-being with this verb, and what’s the word order?
  • Open question: Hur mår du? (How are you?)
  • Yes–no question (inversion): Mår du bra?
  • With negation in a question: Mår du inte bra? Swedish main clauses follow V2 word order, so the finite verb comes early (after the first element), which is why you see inversion in questions.
Can I say Jag känner mig bra or Jag är frisk? What’s the difference?
  • Jag känner mig bra is grammatical but less idiomatic as a general “I’m fine.” More common is Jag mår bra. Use känner mig with specific states: Jag känner mig trött/sjuk/nervös.
  • Jag är frisk means “I am healthy (not ill),” a general health status. Jag mår bra focuses on how you feel right now. You can combine them: Jag är inte helt frisk, men jag mår ganska bra.
Is väl the Swedish equivalent of English “well”? Why not Jag mår väl?
Not here. Väl often functions as a modal particle meaning “I suppose/you know,” so Jag mår väl tends to mean “I guess I’m okay.” For well-being use bra, optionally with modifiers: Jag mår väldigt bra, ganska bra, inte så bra.
How do people answer informally in real life?

Typical replies to Hur mår du? include:

  • Bra, tack.
  • Det är bra.
  • Rätt bra / Ganska bra / Helt okej.
  • Sådär.
  • Inte så bra. In casual chat, a short Bra! by itself is perfectly natural.
How do I type the letter å?
  • Phones/tablets: long-press the A key and choose å, or switch to a Swedish keyboard.
  • Mac: Option (Alt) + A → å; Shift + Option + A → Å.
  • Windows: hold Alt and type 0229 (å) or 0197 (Å) on the numeric keypad, or add the Swedish keyboard layout.
  • Linux: add a Swedish layout, or use your system’s Compose key (varies by setup).