Learn Hardcore Swedish: Vill ni beställa kaffe och en bulle? - Would you like to order coffee and a bun?

In Swedish yes/no questions, the finite verb comes first (V1 word order). So you get Vill ni beställa …? instead of the declarative Ni vill beställa ….

What does ni mean here, and when do I use it instead of du?

Ni is the second‑person plural pronoun, used when addressing more than one person. To address a single person, use du: Vill du beställa kaffe och en bulle? Using ni to one person can sound old‑fashioned or awkward in modern Swedish (though some service staff still do it).

Should Ni ever be capitalized?

Normally, no. You write ni in lowercase for the plural “you.” Some people capitalize Ni when they (formally) address one person, but this can feel old‑fashioned and many style guides discourage it. The safest choice today is to use du for one person and lowercase ni for several people.

Is Vill ni beställa … polite enough in a café?

Yes for a group. To one person, Vill du beställa …? is normal. To sound extra soft or formal, you can say Skulle ni/du vilja beställa …? or Är ni/du redo att beställa?

What’s the nuance difference between Vill ni … and Skulle ni vilja …?

Vill ni … = “Do you want …?” Direct and neutral.
Skulle ni vilja … = “Would you like …?” Softer, more polite/tentative.

Why is there no article before kaffe but there is en before bulle?

Kaffe can be a mass noun (“coffee” in general), so no article is needed: beställa kaffe. Bulle is a countable noun; if you want one, you use the indefinite article en: en bulle. Mixing a mass noun with a counted item is natural: kaffe och en bulle.

Can I say ett kaffe (or even en kaffe)?

Ett kaffe is standard when you mean “a coffee (one cup).”
You will hear en kaffe in everyday speech, but it’s colloquial and not the standard grammatical gender for kaffe (which is an ett‑word). In cafés, both are understood; if you want to be textbook‑correct, say ett kaffe.

Can I drop the article and say kaffe och bulle?

Not in a normal sentence. Bulle is a countable noun, so you need en bulle. You might see kaffe och bulle in menus or headlines as shorthand, but in ordinary speech/write‑ups use en bulle.

What exactly is a bulle?

A bulle is a sweet wheat bun. The default café bun is often a kanelbulle (cinnamon bun), but bulle can also cover other sweet buns. A plain bread roll is usually a fralla.

How do I say two buns or talk about plurals?

One bun: en bulle
Two buns: två bullar
The bun: bullen
The buns: bullarna

How do I negate this kind of question?

Place inte after the finite verb: Vill ni inte beställa kaffe och en bulle?

Do I need att before beställa?

No. After vilja (“to want”), Swedish uses a bare infinitive: vill beställa. Vill ni att beställa … is incorrect. You use att if vill is followed by a clause: Jag vill att ni beställer kaffe.

Are there other natural ways to ask this in a café?

Yes:

Vill ni ha kaffe och en bulle? (Do you want to have …?)
Ska ni ha kaffe och en bulle? (Are you going to have …? Common in service.)
Får det vara kaffe och en bulle? (Set phrase: “May it be …?”)
Kan jag ta er beställning? (May I take your order? — er = your, plural)

How is och pronounced in real speech?

In careful speech it’s roughly “ok” [ɔk]. In everyday speech it’s often reduced to just o/å (a short “oh” sound): kaffe o en bulle. In writing, keep och.

How do I pronounce the tricky vowels here?

ä in beställa is like the e in “bed.”
Short u in bulle is a front‑rounded vowel (think French u/German ü but shorter). Round your lips while saying something like “ih.”
a in kaffe is a short open “ah.”
i in ni is a long “ee.”

Why the double consonants (ll, ff, ll)?

In Swedish spelling, a doubled consonant signals that the preceding vowel is short: vill, kaffe, bulle, beställa all have short vowels before the double consonants.

What are natural short answers?

Yes: Ja, tack. / Ja, gärna.
No: Nej, tack.
Slightly fuller: Ja, det vill vi. or Nej, inte nu.

Does och mean the speaker is offering both items, not a choice?

Yes. Och = “and,” so it suggests both together. If you want to offer a choice, use eller: Vill ni beställa kaffe eller en bulle?