Breakdown of Ser du nyheterna, eller vill du lyssna på musik?
du
you
vilja
to want
eller
or
se
to see
lyssna på
to listen to
musiken
the music
nyheten
the news
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Questions & Answers about Ser du nyheterna, eller vill du lyssna på musik?
Why does Swedish use simple present ser to mean “are watching”? Is there no separate -ing form?
Swedish doesn’t have a progressive tense like English. The simple present covers both ongoing and habitual actions. So Ser du nyheterna? can mean either “Are you watching the news (now)?” or “Do you watch the news (in general)?”. Add an adverb to clarify:
- Ongoing: Ser du nyheterna nu?
- Habitual: Brukar du se nyheterna?
Why is the word order Ser du and vill du instead of Du ser and du vill?
In yes/no questions, Swedish puts the finite verb first (inversion). So:
- Statement: Du ser nyheterna.
- Question: Ser du nyheterna? Same with modal verbs: Du vill lyssna → Vill du lyssna?
What’s the difference between se, titta (på), and kolla (på) here?
- se = “see/watch” (neutral, common for TV/films): Ser du nyheterna?
- titta på = “look at/watch” (more explicitly active watching): Tittar du på nyheterna?
- kolla (på) = “check/watch” (colloquial): Kollar du på nyheterna? All are acceptable; register and nuance differ slightly.
Why is it nyheterna and not nyheter or nyheten?
Swedish uses the definite plural for “the news” as a program:
- en nyhet = a news item
- nyheter = news items / news (indefinite)
- nyheterna = the news (the program/collective) Nyheten would be “the news item,” not what you want here.
Does Ser du nyheterna mean right now or generally?
It’s ambiguous without context. Add nu for right now, or brukar for habit:
- Ser du nyheterna nu?
- Brukar du se nyheterna?
Is the comma before eller required?
It’s optional. Many writers omit it: Ser du nyheterna eller vill du lyssna på musik? A comma can be used to mark a pause between two independent clauses; both versions are acceptable.
Does eller imply “one or the other”?
In questions like this, eller typically signals a choice (an exclusive “or”). For “either … or,” you can also say antingen … eller. If you mean “or would you rather,” add hellre: Vill du hellre lyssna på musik?
Why is it vill du lyssna and not vill du att lyssna?
Modal verbs (e.g., vill, kan, ska, måste, får, bör) take a bare infinitive without att: vill lyssna. Use vill att only before a clause with its own subject: Jag vill att du lyssnar.
Why is it lyssna på? Can I say lyssna musik or lyssna till?
You must use lyssna på with what you listen to: lyssna på musik. Lyssna till exists but is formal/literary. Lyssna musik is incorrect.
Why is musik used without an article? When would musiken be used?
musik is a mass noun; in general statements you use it without an article: lyssna på musik (“listen to music”). Use the definite musiken when referring to specific music: Lyssna på musiken som spelar nu.
Is Tittar du på nyheterna also correct?
Yes. Titta på is very common for TV: Tittar du på nyheterna, eller vill du lyssna på musik? Both se and titta på work; the choice is stylistic.
Can eller be used as a tag at the end, like “right?”
Yes. Du ser nyheterna, eller? means “You’re watching the news, right?” That’s different from linking two options; it’s a tag-question use.
Is Vill du… polite enough? How do I make it softer, like “would you rather…”?
Vill du… is fine in everyday speech. Softer options:
- Skulle du vilja lyssna på musik? (Would you like to…)
- Vill du hellre lyssna på musik? (Would you rather…)
- Even softer: Skulle du hellre vilja lyssna på musik?
How do I negate parts of this sentence?
Place inte after the finite verb:
- Ser du inte nyheterna, eller vill du lyssna på musik?
- Vill du inte lyssna på musik? With modal + infinitive, inte follows the modal: Vill du inte lyssna…
Do I need to add på tv to mean TV news?
Not necessarily. Se nyheterna commonly implies the TV news. You can specify: Se nyheterna på tv if you want to be explicit.