Learn Hardcore Swedish: Jag vill vara själv hemma.

In Swedish, when one verb (like vill) is followed by another verb, the second verb must be in the infinitive form (the dictionary form), without att in this case.

vill = want (conjugated, present tense)
vara = to be (infinitive)

So the pattern is:

Jag vill vara ... = I want to be ...
Jag vill äta ... = I want to eat ...
Jag vill sova ... = I want to sleep ...

You cannot say Jag vill är; är is the present tense form and cannot directly follow vill.

Why is there no att before vara?

Some Swedish verbs normally take att before an infinitive, but a group of modal-like verbs do not use att. These include:

vill (want to)
kan (can)
måste (must, have to)
ska (shall, going to)
får (may, allowed to)

With these, you go directly to the infinitive:

Jag vill vara själv hemma.
Jag kan prata svenska.
Jag måste gå nu.

So you say vill vara, not vill att vara or vill att jag är in this construction.

What is the difference between själv and ensam here?

Both can relate to being alone, but they have different nuances:

själv = by oneself, on one’s own, without company
Often focuses on the fact of being alone or doing something independently.
ensam = alone, lonely
Can feel more emotional, sometimes suggesting loneliness or isolation, depending on context.

In your sentence:

Jag vill vara själv hemma.
Emphasises: I want to be by myself / have the place to myself.
Jag vill vara ensam hemma.
Often similar in everyday speech, but can sound a bit more like I want to be alone in a stronger, possibly more emotional way.

In many contexts they overlap, and Swedes might use either, but själv is very natural here if the idea is just “I prefer to be on my own at home (not with others).”

Why is it själv and not mig själv?

själv can be used in two main ways:

With a matching pronoun for emphasis (reflexive-like):
- Jag själv (I myself)
- Du själv (you yourself)
- Han själv (he himself)
- Mig själv (myself), dig själv (yourself), etc.
Example:
- Jag gjorde det själv. = I did it myself.
Alone, after vara/är, meaning “by oneself / alone”:
- Jag är själv hemma. = I am alone at home.
- Jag vill vara själv. = I want to be alone.

In Jag vill vara själv hemma, själv is used in the second way: as a predicative after vara, meaning “by myself / alone”.
Jag vill vara mig själv would instead mean “I want to be myself (be true to who I am)”, which is a different meaning.

Can I also say Jag vill vara hemma själv? Does the meaning change?

Yes, you can say Jag vill vara hemma själv, and Swedes do say this. The difference is mostly in emphasis and rhythm, not in basic meaning.

Jag vill vara själv hemma.
Slightly more focus on själv (being by yourself) before mentioning where.
Roughly: I want to be by myself at home.
Jag vill vara hemma själv.
The hemma comes earlier, so the phrase feels more like I want to be at home, by myself.

In everyday speech, both are usually understood as “I want to be home alone,” and neither sounds wrong. The nuance is subtle.

What is the difference between hem and hemma?

They are related but used differently:

hemma = at home (location, “where?”)
- Jag är hemma. = I am at home.
- Jag vill vara själv hemma. = I want to be alone at home.
hem = (to) home (direction, “where to?”)
- Jag går hem. = I am going home.
- Jag vill åka hem. = I want to go home.

So:

Use hemma when you mean being at home.
Use hem when you mean going home.

Your sentence talks about being somewhere, so hemma is correct.

Does Jag vill vara själv hemma sound rude or very strong?

Not necessarily. By itself, Jag vill vara själv hemma is quite neutral and can simply mean:

I’d rather stay home alone.
I’d like some time by myself at home.

Tone and context matter a lot:

Said calmly with a reason: it sounds like a normal preference.
Said abruptly in a conflict: it can sound more like “I want everyone to leave me alone.”

Grammatically it’s fine and commonly understandable; politeness depends on how and when you say it.

How would I say “I want to stay home alone” instead of “be home alone”?

You can use the verb stanna (to stay):

Jag vill stanna hemma själv.
Jag vill stanna hemma och vara själv.

Both clearly express the idea of staying at home alone, not just being at home alone in general.

Compare:

Jag vill vara själv hemma.
Focus: being home alone (state).
Jag vill stanna hemma själv.
Focus: staying rather than going out, and doing so alone.

How does vill here relate to talking about the future? Why not use ska or kommer att?

Swedish often uses present tense verbs to talk about the near future, especially with vill:

Jag vill vara själv hemma.
Context-dependent, but can mean I want to be home alone (later / tonight / tomorrow).

Other options:

Jag ska vara själv hemma.
More like “I am going to / I will be home alone” (a plan or arrangement).
Jag kommer att vara själv hemma.
“I will be home alone” (a prediction or more neutral future statement).

vill expresses a wish or desire, not a fixed plan by itself. So your sentence is about what you want, not necessarily what will happen.

How do you pronounce själv, especially the sj sound?

The word själv is tricky for many learners.

sj in själv is usually pronounced with the Swedish sj‑sound, a kind of voiceless, breathy “sh” articulated further back in the mouth/throat than English sh.
The vowel ä is like the “e” in “bed”, but a bit more open.
The lv at the end often sounds like “lv” but in some accents it can be slightly softened.

A rough approximation for English speakers:

själv ≈ “shelf” but with a harsher, breathier sh‑sound and the vowel from “bed” instead of “she”.

To get it right, listening to native audio (e.g. from a dictionary or TTS) and imitating is very helpful, since this sound does not really exist in English.