Breakdown of Han vill inte ha en bulle, men hon vill ha två.
ha
to have
en
a
vilja
to want
hon
she
han
he
inte
not
men
but
två
two
bullen
the bun
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Questions & Answers about Han vill inte ha en bulle, men hon vill ha två.
Why is it vill ha and not just vill?
In Swedish, when you want a thing, you use vill ha + a noun. Use vill alone before a verb. Examples:
- Han vill ha en bulle. = He wants a bun.
- Han vill sjunga. = He wants to sing.
Why is inte placed after vill?
In a main clause, sentence adverbs like inte come after the finite verb. So: Han vill inte ha …. In a subordinate clause, the order changes: att han inte vill ha ….
Why is it ha and not har?
Ha is the infinitive (to have) used after modal-like verbs such as vill. Har is the present tense form (has/have). After vill, you must use the infinitive: vill ha.
Why is there no att between vill and ha?
Swedish omits att before the infinitive after modal(-like) verbs: vill, kan, ska, måste, bör, får. So you say vill ha, not vill att ha.
Why en bulle and not just bulle?
Countable singular nouns need a determiner in Swedish. Bulle is an en-word (common gender), so you say en bulle. Bare singular without an article is generally not allowed for count nouns.
What’s the plural of bulle, and how do you say “two buns”?
Plural indefinite is bullar; definite plural is bullarna. “Two buns” is två bullar.
Is it okay to omit the noun after två, like hon vill ha två?
Yes. Swedish often drops a repeated noun when it’s clear from context. You could also say hon vill ha två bullar, or colloquially hon vill ha två stycken / två sådana.
Could I say Han vill inte ha någon bulle instead? What’s the difference?
Yes. Han vill inte ha någon bulle means he doesn’t want any bun at all. Han vill inte ha en bulle can mean he doesn’t want one bun (maybe zero, or maybe he wants two) or “not that one bun,” depending on context. For plural: Han vill inte ha några bullar.
Is Han vill ha ingen bulle correct?
Avoid it; it sounds unnatural. Use Han vill inte ha någon bulle (singular) or Han vill inte ha några bullar (plural). Ingen/inget/inga is common in statements like Det finns ingen bulle, but not after vill ha in this way.
When do I use men versus utan for “but”?
Use utan after a negation when you replace X with Y for the same subject: Han vill inte ha en bulle utan två (= not one bun but two). Use men for a general contrast or when the subject changes, as in the sentence: …, men hon vill ha två.
How do I turn these into questions?
Invert the verb and subject:
- Vill han inte ha en bulle?
- Vill hon ha två (bullar)? Note that inte stays after the subject in yes/no questions.
Is the comma before men necessary?
It’s optional but common when joining two independent main clauses. You’ll often see …, men … in writing; leaving out the comma is also accepted in modern Swedish.
Can I start the sentence with something else and keep the word order right?
Yes. Swedish is a V2 language, so the finite verb stays in second position: Idag vill han inte ha en bulle, men hon vill ha två.
How do I refer back to bulle with a pronoun?
Bulle is common gender, so use den for “it.” Examples:
- Bullen = the bun → den
- Bullarna = the buns → dem E.g., Han vill inte ha den.
Is there a gender‑neutral pronoun for people instead of han/hon?
Yes, hen is a widely used gender‑neutral pronoun. You could say: Hen vill inte ha en bulle, men hen vill ha två.
Any quick pronunciation tips?
- han ≈ “hahn”
- vill with a short i; double l = long l: “vil-l”
- inte ≈ “IN-teh”
- bulle: Swedish u is fronted/rounded; think “bew-leh”
- hon ≈ “hoon”
- två: å like “aw”; “tvaw” (with a long vowel)
How do I say it in the past?
Use the preterite ville: Han ville inte ha en bulle, men hon ville ha två.