Learn Hardcore Swedish: Hon känner sig svag, men hennes mamma och pappa är starka. - She feels weak, but her mom and dad are strong.

Swedish uses the reflexive pronoun with this verb pattern: känna sig + adjective = “to feel + adjective.” So Hon känner sig svag = “She feels weak.” Without sig, känner usually means “knows” or “senses” something external (e.g., Hon känner Anna = “She knows Anna”). The reflexive forms are: mig, dig, sig, oss, er, sig.

Could I just say Hon är svag instead of Hon känner sig svag?

Yes, but the nuance changes:

Hon känner sig svag = she feels weak (subjective, how she experiences it right now).
Hon är svag = she is weak (a more objective state or trait).

Why is it svag here and not svagt or svaga?

Predicative adjectives agree with the subject’s gender/number:

Singular common gender (like hon) → base form: svag
Singular neuter → svagt
Plural → svaga So Hon känner sig svag, but De känner sig svaga.

Why is it starka after är in the second clause?

Because the subject hennes mamma och pappa is plural. Predicative adjectives take -a in the plural: … är starka. If it were just one parent, you’d have … är stark.

Should it be sina mamma och pappa instead of hennes?

No. Sin/sitt/sina must refer back to the subject of the same clause. In the second clause, the subject is hennes mamma och pappa, not hon. Using sina there would mean “their own mom and dad,” which doesn’t make sense. So hennes is correct.

To make it extra clear you’re talking about the same woman’s parents (if needed), you can rephrase:

Hon känner sig svag. Hennes mamma och pappa är däremot starka.
Hon känner sig svag, men hennes egna mamma och pappa är starka.

Do I need to repeat hennes before both nouns (i.e., hennes mamma och hennes pappa)?

No. One hennes scopes over both nouns: hennes mamma och pappa. Repeating it is grammatical but usually unnecessary unless you need emphasis or the possessors differ (e.g., hennes mamma och hans pappa).

Can I use föräldrar instead of mamma och pappa?

Yes: Hon känner sig svag, men hennes föräldrar är starka. It’s more concise and a bit more formal/neutral. Other options: mor och far (formal), morsa och farsa (colloquial).

Is the comma before men required?

It’s recommended when joining two independent clauses: …, men …. You will see it omitted in informal writing, but including the comma is a safe, standard choice.

What’s the word order after men?

Swedish keeps verb-second (V2) within the clause. Here the subject comes first and the verb is second: men [hennes mamma och pappa] [är] starka. Don’t invert just because of men (that would form a question-like order).

How do you pronounce tricky parts like känner, sig, svag, är, and och?

känner: initial k before ä is “soft,” like a sh-sound; ä as in “bed”; double nn makes the vowel short.
sig: in Sweden often pronounced like “sej”; in Finland Swedish closer to “si”.
svag: long “a” (svahg), final g is a hard g.
är: like “air” without the i-glide.
och: the h is silent; often pronounced “ock,” and in casual speech just “o”.

What’s the difference between hon, henne, hennes, and hen?

hon = she (subject)
henne = her (object)
hennes = her (possessive, non-reflexive; invariable)
hen = gender-neutral singular pronoun; possessive is hens

Can I use fast instead of men?

Yes. Fast is a common, slightly more informal alternative: Hon känner sig svag, fast hennes mamma och pappa är starka. Don’t use utan unless it’s “not X but rather Y.”

Why aren’t mamma and pappa capitalized?

They’re common nouns in Swedish and are not capitalized in normal use. Capitalize only when used as a form of address/name: Hej, Mamma!

How would I say this in the past?

Simple past: Hon kände sig svag, men hennes mamma och pappa var starka.
Present perfect: Hon har känt sig svag, men hennes mamma och pappa har varit starka.

Where does inte go if I want to negate it?

Typical placement with a reflexive verb is after the reflexive:

Hon känner sig inte svag, men hennes mamma och pappa är inte starka. Putting inte before sig (e.g., känner inte sig) is uncommon and only used with special emphasis (e.g., “not herself”).

Can I say Hon känns svag?

That means “She comes across as/seems weak” (how others perceive her), not how she herself feels. känns is an impersonal/passive-like form often used with det: Det känns bra (“It feels good”).

Can I use the gender-neutral hen here?

Yes: Hen känner sig svag, men hens mamma och pappa är starka.

Why not hennes mamman och pappan?

In Swedish, a possessive determiner (like hennes) replaces the definite article and definite suffix, so you keep the noun in its indefinite form: hennes mamma, hennes pappa, hennes föräldrar (not mamman/pappan/föräldrarna).