Learn Hardcore Swedish: Vad är ditt nummer, och är det rätt?

Vad är ditt nummer? — Most common in modern Swedish with vara (“to be”) + a noun.
Vilket är ditt nummer? — Also correct; more typical when choosing from a known/limited set, or in slightly more formal/precise style. Very natural alternatives:
Vilket nummer har du?
Vad har du för nummer?

Why is it ditt and not din or dina (or ert)?

Swedish possessives agree with the grammatical gender and number of the noun:

din = “your” for en-words (singular): din bok
ditt = “your” for ett-words (singular): ditt nummer (nummer is an ett-word)
dina = “your” for plurals: dina nummer For addressing more than one person (you plural), use er/ert/era:
ert nummer (to several people), er bok, era böcker

Does nummer by itself imply “phone number,” or should I say telefonnummer?

Context decides. Nummer can mean many kinds of numbers (phone, jersey, ticket, apartment). In everyday conversation, Vad är ditt nummer? is usually understood as “phone number.” If you want to be explicit, say:

telefonnummer (phone number)
mobilnummer (mobile number)
personnummer (Swedish personal ID number)

Is the comma before och correct here?

Swedish normally avoids a comma before och. A more standard punctuation would be:

Vad är ditt nummer och är det rätt? Or simply split it:
Vad är ditt nummer? Är det rätt? Using a comma before och is not strictly “wrong,” but it’s unusual and can look non-native unless there’s a special reason.

Is it natural to link two questions with och, or should I make them separate?

You can link them with och, but native speakers often split them:

Vad är ditt nummer? Är det rätt? In real life, the second question typically comes after you repeat or confirm the number you heard:
Vad är ditt nummer? … 070-123 45 67. Är det rätt?

Why is it det and not den in Är det rätt?

Nummer is an ett-word, so its pronoun is det.
Det is also the default pronoun when you refer to a whole situation/statement (“Is that correct?”). Examples:
Är numret rätt? – Ja, det är rätt.
Är adressen rätt? (en-adress) – Ja, den är rätt. If you don’t repeat the noun, det is the safest general choice: Är det rätt?

What’s the difference between rätt, riktig/riktigt, korrekt, and stämmer?

rätt: “right/correct” (very common)
- Är det rätt? “Is that correct/right?”
- Det är rätt svar. “That’s the right answer.”
riktig/riktigt: “real/proper/correct” (riktigt also means “really/quite” as an adverb)
- Är det riktigt? “Is that correct/true?” (slightly more about truth/accuracy)
korrekt: “correct” (more formal/explicit)
- Är det korrekt?
stämmer: “does it match/is it correct”
- Stämmer det? / Stämmer numret? (very idiomatic for confirming info)

What are more natural ways to ask for someone’s number?

Common, idiomatic options:

Kan jag få ditt (telefon)nummer?
Skulle jag kunna få ditt nummer? (more polite)
Vilket nummer har du?
Vad har du för (telefon)nummer? For confirming:
Är det rätt nummer?
Stämmer numret?
Stämmer det?

How does the word order work? Why är in second position in the first clause and first in the second?

Swedish is a V2 language in main clauses:

In content questions, the question word comes first, and the finite verb is second:
- Vad är ditt nummer? (Vad = 1st position, är = 2nd)
In yes/no questions, the finite verb comes first:
- Är det rätt? That’s why you see är after Vad in the first clause and at the very beginning in the second.

How do you pronounce the key words?

Approximate pronunciations (Stockholm-like):

Vad: “vahd” (long a)
ditt: “dit” (short i, crisp final t)
nummer: roughly “NUHm-mer” (short, rounded vowel like French “eu”; double m makes the m long)
och: often just “å”/“o” in speech; the full form is like “ock”
är: “air” (short), often reduced to “e” in fast speech
det: “deh”/“de” (often reduced)
rätt: “ret” with short ä (like “e” in “get”) and a hard, short final t Full sentence (careful speech): “vahd e ditt NUHm-mer, å är de ret?”

Why is it ditt nummer (indefinite) and not numret with a possessive?

With preposed possessives (min/din/hans/etc.), Swedish normally keeps the noun indefinite:

mitt nummer, din bok, hans bil You don’t say “ditt numret.” If you really need a definite form with a possessive, you can use a postposed possessive for emphasis/colloquial flavor:
numret ditt (rare/marked; often dialectal or stylistic)

What are the singular and plural forms of nummer?

Singular indefinite: ett nummer
Singular definite: numret
Plural indefinite: nummer
Plural definite: numren (nummerna also occurs but numren is the standard form)

Should I use Ni/ert for politeness instead of du/ditt?

Modern Swedish is overwhelmingly du-based, even with strangers. Ni/ert exists (and is used in some service contexts), but can feel either overly formal or oddly distant. Default to du/ditt unless there’s a clear local norm or you’re writing very formal correspondence:

du/ditt/dina (singular “you”)
ni/ert/era (plural “you,” or formal in limited contexts)