Breakdown of Skulle du kunna hjälpa mig med den här frågan?
du
you
mig
me
den här
this
med
with
hjälpa
to help
skulle
would
kunna
be able to
frågan
the question
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Swedish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Skulle du kunna hjälpa mig med den här frågan?
What does Skulle du kunna literally mean, and why are there two verbs?
It combines skulle (past/conditional of ska, used here for politeness: “would”) + kunna (“to be able to”). Literally: “Would you be able to…?” Swedish often stacks modals like this to soften a request. There’s no real condition implied; it’s a polite yes/no question.
How polite is this compared to Kan du… and Kunde du…?
- Kan du hjälpa mig …? Neutral, perfectly polite in everyday speech.
- Skulle du kunna hjälpa mig …? Softer/more deferential; common in emails, with strangers, or when you want extra politeness.
- Kunde du hjälpa mig …? Also polite; can sound slightly old-fashioned or very gentle. Note Kunde du inte …? can sound like a complaint depending on tone.
Why does the sentence start with Skulle?
In Swedish yes/no questions, the finite verb comes first, so you get inversion: Skulle du kunna …? The statement order would be Du skulle kunna hjälpa mig med den här frågan.
Why do we need med after hjälpa here?
Because the pattern is hjälpa någon med något (help someone with something) when the thing helped with is a noun phrase. Examples: hjälpa mig med läxan, hjälpa henne med bilen. If what follows is a verb, you use an infinitive: hjälpa mig att flytta (help me move).
Why is it den här and not det här?
Because fråga is an en-word (common gender). Use den här with en-words and det här with ett-words. Compare:
- den här frågan (this question/issue)
- det här problemet (this problem)
Why is it den här frågan (definite) rather than den här fråga?
Swedish shows “double definiteness”: with a demonstrative (den här/den där/den) the noun also takes the definite ending. So:
- Indefinite: fråga
- Definite: frågan
- With demonstrative: den här frågan Note: with denna, you normally do not add the definite ending: denna fråga (more formal).
Does fråga mean only “question”?
No. Fråga can be:
- a question you ask or answer: en fråga, and you answer it with svara på en fråga.
- an issue/matter/topic: den här frågan = “this issue/matter.” If you mean a task/exercise, you might also use uppgift; for a problem, problem; for “the matter,” saken/ärendet.
Where does inte go if I want to negate it?
Put inte right after the subject in this pattern: Skulle du inte kunna hjälpa mig med den här frågan? This version is often even more polite (like Couldn’t you possibly…?). With kan: Kan du inte hjälpa mig …? can sound like a complaint if the tone is sharp.
Any quick pronunciation tips for tricky parts?
- skulle: the u is the Swedish fronted [ʉ]; double ll is long: roughly “SKUL-le” with a short u (not as in English “school”).
- kunna: short u [ʉ]; double nn is long: “KUN-na.”
- hjälpa: silent h; j = English y; ä like the vowel in “bed,” a bit more open: “YEL-pa.”
- frågan: å like “aw” in “law” (long); g is hard
- här: long ä: “hɛːr.”
Is mig ever spelled mej?
Yes. In informal writing you’ll often see mej, dej, sej. Standard spelling in formal contexts is mig, dig, sig. Pronunciation is closer to “mej/dej/sej” in most dialects.
Can I use hjälpa till here?
Yes, but it changes the nuance slightly. hjälpa takes a direct object (hjälpa mig med …) and focuses on helping someone. hjälpa till (med …) is more like “pitch in/help out (with …)” and often describes contributing to an ongoing task: Skulle du kunna hjälpa till med den här frågan? works if several people are working on the issue.
Can I drop du or use the imperative instead?
Swedish doesn’t drop subject pronouns in full sentences, so keep du. The imperative is possible but more direct: Hjälp mig med den här frågan. To soften it, add snälla at the start or use a periphrasis: Kan du vara snäll och hjälpa mig … / Skulle du kunna vara snäll och …
Does skulle indicate past or future here?
Neither; it’s the past/conditional form used for politeness, much like English would. It does not refer to time in this sentence. For true future-in-the-past you’d see it in a subordinate clause: Han sa att han skulle komma (He said he would come).
Should I ever use a formal Ni instead of du?
Generally no in everyday Sweden; du is standard even with strangers. In some service contexts or very formal letters you might see Ni (sometimes capitalized), but it can feel stiff or even distancing. If you do use it: Skulle Ni kunna hjälpa mig …—but prefer du unless you know Ni is expected.
Can I front the prepositional phrase for emphasis?
You can, but it’s marked and more written: Med den här frågan, skulle du kunna hjälpa mig? The neutral, most natural order is the original.
How do I say “help me answer this question”?
Use an infinitive with att and remember the preposition with “answer”: Skulle du kunna hjälpa mig att svara på den här frågan? In speech, many Swedes drop att after hjälpa: … hjälpa mig svara på …—both are acceptable.