Learn Hardcore Swedish: Kan du låna ut din ordbok ikväll? - Can you lend me your dictionary tonight?

låna usually means to borrow: Jag lånar din ordbok = I borrow your dictionary.
låna ut means to lend (to someone): Jag lånar ut min ordbok (till dig) = I lend my dictionary (to you). Learners often mix these up. In your sentence, låna ut is correct because the subject is the lender.

Could I say Får jag låna din ordbok i kväll? instead? Is that more natural?

Yes. Får jag låna din ordbok i kväll? (May I borrow your dictionary tonight?) is very natural and common when you, the speaker, want to borrow something. Kan du låna ut din ordbok i kväll? centers the other person’s ability/willingness to lend. Both are fine; the “får jag låna” version is often the go‑to request.

Is Kan du låna mig din ordbok i kväll? correct?

It’s widely used and understood, meaning “Can you lend me your dictionary tonight?” Some style guides prefer låna ut … till mig (more explicit), but låna mig is common in everyday speech and generally accepted.

Do I need to include “to me,” as in till mig?

Not necessarily—context usually makes it clear. If you want to be explicit, say:

Kan du låna ut din ordbok till mig i kväll? Placement: … låna ut [object] till mig i kväll is the most natural. You can also move till mig earlier for emphasis, but end position is typical.

Why is it din and not ditt or dina?

Because ordbok is a common-gender (en) noun:

Singular common gender: en ordbok → din ordbok
Singular neuter (ett) would take ditt
Plural takes dina: dina ordböcker

Can I replace din ordbok with a pronoun, like den?

Yes:

Kan du låna ut den i kväll? Use den for common-gender nouns (like ordbok), and det for neuter nouns (like lexikon).

Why does the question start with Kan? Could I say Du kan låna ut … ?

Yes/no questions in standard Swedish use verb-first order (V1): Kan du … ?
A declarative with rising intonation (Du kan låna ut … ?) is common in speech but is more informal. In writing, stick to inversion for questions.

Where should i kväll/ikväll go in the sentence?

Most neutral: at the end — … din ordbok i kväll.
Other options:

Fronted for emphasis: I kväll kan du låna ut din ordbok.
In the mid-field: Kan du i kväll låna ut din ordbok? (less common; can sound more formal/contrasty) End position is the safest default.

Which spelling is right: i kväll or ikväll?

Both are accepted in modern Swedish. i kväll is the traditional/edited standard; ikväll is very common in everyday writing. Choose one style and be consistent; in formal text, prefer i kväll.

How can I make the request more polite?

Skulle du kunna låna ut din ordbok i kväll?
Skulle det vara möjligt att låna din ordbok i kväll?
Har du möjlighet att låna ut din ordbok i kväll? These soften the request in a way similar to English “Could you…” or “Would it be possible…”

How do I negate it: “Can’t you lend your dictionary tonight?”

Kan du inte låna ut din ordbok i kväll? Note the position of inte (after the subject, before the infinitive phrase låna ut).

Is låna ut a particle verb? Where does ut go?

Yes, låna ut is a verb + particle. Keep ut with the verb:

With a noun object: låna ut ordboken
With a pronoun: most natural is låna ut den (you may hear låna den ut, but it’s less common—stick to låna ut den as a learner)
With auxiliaries/tenses: kan låna ut, ska låna ut, har lånat ut

Can I use låna bort here?

You can, especially in speech: Kan du låna bort din ordbok i kväll?
Nuance: låna ut is neutral. låna bort often implies handing something over (and maybe not having it for a while). In many contexts they overlap; låna ut is the safer default.

Should I use du or ni? And what about din vs er?

du/din: default singular you/your in modern Swedish.
ni/er: plural you/your, or a formal singular in some service contexts.
So to a group: Kan ni låna ut er ordbok i kväll?
For everyday one‑to‑one requests, use du/din.

Is ordbok the only word for “dictionary”? What about lexikon or ordlista?

ordbok (en): general word for dictionary; very common.
lexikon (ett): also means dictionary, often for bilingual or specialized dictionaries.
ordlista (en): a word list/glossary (usually shorter, e.g., at the back of a book). Your sentence is perfect with ordbok. With lexikon, you’d say ditt lexikon (neuter).

Why not din ordboken? Do Swedish nouns take double definiteness with possessives?

With possessives, you do not use the definite ending on the noun. So:

Correct: din ordbok
Incorrect: din ordboken Without a possessive, definite is fine: ordboken = the dictionary.

Why is there no att before låna?

After modal verbs like kan, ska, vill, Swedish uses the bare infinitive (no att):

Kan du låna ut …
Compare: Jag försöker att låna ut … (with non-modals, att may appear).

Does kan mean ability or willingness here? Is there a nuance?

kan literally expresses ability, but in requests it functions like English “can/could you,” combining ability and willingness. To sound softer/more polite, use Skulle du kunna … or reframe as Får jag låna ….

Does the sentence imply “to me,” or could it mean lending to someone else?

By default, it’s understood as lending to the speaker. If you mean “to someone else,” specify the recipient:

Kan du låna ut din ordbok till Anna i kväll?