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Questions & Answers about Kan du lyssna på mig nu?
Why is there på after lyssna?
In Swedish, lyssna is used with the preposition på when you specify what you’re listening to. It’s the equivalent of English “listen to.” Without på, lyssna is just “to listen” with no object.
- Correct: lyssna på mig, lyssna på musik, lyssna på radio
- Just the verb: Lyssna! (Listen!)
Why is it lyssna and not lyssnar after kan?
Because kan is a modal verb. In Swedish, modals (kan, vill, måste, ska, bör, etc.) are followed by the bare infinitive without att:
- Kan du lyssna…
- Jag kan komma.
- Not: kan du lyssnar and not: kan du att lyssna
Could I say Lyssnar du på mig nu? What’s the difference from Kan du lyssna på mig nu?
Yes.
- Lyssnar du på mig nu? = Are you listening to me right now? (ongoing action)
- Kan du lyssna på mig nu? = Can/Could you listen to me now? (ability/willingness; a request)
What’s the difference between lyssna and höra?
- lyssna (på) = to listen (intentional/active): Lyssnar du på mig?
- höra = to hear (perceive sound): Hör du mig? (Can you hear me?) You use höra for audio checks and lyssna (på) when asking someone to pay attention.
How can I make the request more polite?
- Skulle du kunna lyssna på mig nu? (Would you be able to listen to me now?)
- Kan du lyssna på mig nu, tack?
- Skulle du kunna lyssna på mig en stund? Adding tack or snälla softens the tone.
Where does inte go if I want to say “Can’t you listen to me now?”
Place inte after the subject (and after the finite verb in main clauses):
- Kan du inte lyssna på mig nu? This follows Swedish word order: finite verb (kan) + subject (du) + sentence adverb (inte) + main verb (lyssna) …
Can nu be placed somewhere else?
Yes, but the nuance changes:
- Neutral: Kan du lyssna på mig nu?
- Emphasis on “now” (statement word order): Nu kan du lyssna på mig.
- Fronted for extra emphasis (sounds a bit formal/insistent as a question): Kan du nu lyssna på mig? Starting with Nu kan du… is a statement; it can become a question only via intonation.
Is du singular? When would I use ni?
- du = singular “you” (one person).
- ni = plural “you” (addressing several people). It’s sometimes used as a polite singular in service contexts, but standard modern usage is to use du for one person.
Why is mig spelled with a g but pronounced like mej? Can I write mej?
Historically, mig and dig are spelled with g, but in most accents they’re pronounced [mɛj]/[dɛj]. Writing mej/dej is common in informal texts. In formal writing, prefer mig/dig.
How do you pronounce the whole sentence?
Approximate IPA: Kan du lyssna på mig nu? → [kan dʉː ˈlʏsːna poː mɛj nʉː]
- y in lyssna is a front rounded vowel [ʏ] (like German “ü,” short).
- Double ss gives a long [sː], making the preceding vowel short.
- på has long å [oː].
- mig is pronounced like mej [mɛj].
- du/nu have [ʉː] in most Swedish varieties.
Does lyssna (på) also work with things (music, podcasts, birds), and are there alternatives?
Yes:
- lyssna på musik/podden/fåglarna Alternatives:
- lyssna till (more formal/poetic): lyssna till fågelsången
- höra på (exists but less common than lyssna på in many contexts)
How do I make it a direct command like “Listen to me now!”?
Use the imperative:
- Lyssna på mig nu! You can soften it with snälla: Lyssna på mig nu, snälla. Or make it a polite request as above with Skulle du kunna…