Breakdown of Jag använder min mobil bara några minuter om dagen.
jag
I
min
my
dagen
the day
mobilen
the mobile phone
använda
to use
bara
only
några
a few
minuten
the minute
om
per
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Questions & Answers about Jag använder min mobil bara några minuter om dagen.
Why is it min and not mitt or mina?
Because mobil is an en-word (common gender). Swedish possessives agree with the noun:
- min mobil (en-word, singular)
- mitt hus (ett-word, singular)
- mina mobiler (plural)
Can I say mobilen instead of min mobil?
Yes. Jag använder mobilen bara några minuter om dagen is very natural. Using the definite form (mobilen) often implies “my phone” when context is clear. Min mobil explicitly marks possession and can sound a bit more contrastive or formal.
Why is bara placed before några minuter and not somewhere else?
In Swedish, bara should stand right before what it limits. Here it limits the duration, so we get bara några minuter. If you write Jag använder bara min mobil några minuter om dagen, the meaning shifts to “I only use my phone (not other devices), for a few minutes a day.”
Can I start the sentence with bara for emphasis?
Yes, with V2 word order:
- Bara några minuter om dagen använder jag min mobil. This is emphatic/marked but correct. The finite verb (använder) remains in second position.
Could I use per dag or varje dag instead of om dagen?
- per dag: correct, slightly more formal/neutral-measuring (e.g., … några minuter per dag).
- varje dag: “every day,” also fine (e.g., … några minuter varje dag).
- om dagen: the most idiomatic for “per day” in many contexts.
Why is it dagen (definite) in om dagen?
It’s a fixed pattern: time-period expressions with om often take the definite form: om dagen, om året, om dygnet. Think of it like “per the day/year/24 hours.”
Is om dagen the same as på dagen or om dagarna?
No.
- om dagen = “per day.”
- på dagen = “in the daytime” (as opposed to at night).
- om dagarna = “during the days / in the daytime (habitually).” Different meaning from “per day.”
What’s the difference between några and någon/något?
- några = “a few/some” (plural): några minuter
- någon = “some/any” (singular en-word): någon minut (“a minute or two”)
- något = “some/any” (singular ett-word), or an adverb “somewhat.” Negative counterpart: inga minuter (“no minutes”), or inte några minuter.
Can I say i några minuter om dagen?
Not naturally. i X minuter describes the duration of one event (“for X minutes”). Combining that with om dagen (“per day”) clashes. Use either:
- Habit/general rate: … några minuter om dagen / per dag.
- Single event: Jag använder min mobil i några minuter.
Does om also mean “in” as in “in a few minutes”? Is that confusing here?
Yes, om can mean “in (time until)”:
- om några minuter = “in a few minutes.” But in några minuter om dagen, om belongs with dagen and means “per.” The structure and word order keep them apart.
Is present tense använder right for a habitual statement?
Yes. Swedish present tense commonly expresses habits/generals: Jag använder … (I use … [habitually]).
How do you conjugate använda?
- Infinitive: att använda
- Present: använder
- Past (preterite): använde
- Supine: använt
- Imperative/participle: använd! / använd It’s a regular group 2a verb.
Where does inte go if I want to say “I don’t use my phone more than a few minutes a day”?
Place inte after the finite verb:
- Jag använder inte min mobil mer än några minuter om dagen. Here inte typically comes before the (non-topicalized) object and before the mer än phrase.
Are there synonyms for bara, and do they change the tone?
- endast = formal/neutral: … endast några minuter …
- blott = poetic/old-fashioned.
- Periphrastic: inte mer än, högst, som mest, max (informal).
Should it be minuter or minutrar?
Standard Swedish uses minuter (plural of minut). Minutrar is nonstandard/colloquial and best avoided in writing.
Could I drop om dagen and still be correct?
Yes, but the meaning changes: Jag använder min mobil bara några minuter = “only a few minutes” (without specifying per day). … om dagen adds the “per day” rate.
What about sin vs min if it’s third person?
For third person subjects, use the reflexive possessive to refer back to the subject:
- Han/Hon använder sin mobil bara några minuter om dagen. (= his/her own phone)
- Han använder hans mobil … would mean “he uses someone else’s (some other man’s) phone.”
Is mobil, mobiltelefon, or telefon best here?
All are possible:
- mobil: most common everyday word for mobile phone.
- mobiltelefon: more formal/explicit.
- telefon: can mean any phone; context clarifies.