Learn Hardcore Swedish: Klä på dig nu, vi ska gå ut. - Get dressed now, we are going out.

klä på dig = get dressed (yourself)
klä dig is grammatically possible, but:
- it sounds more old-fashioned or literary, or
- it often needs an object: klä dig varmt (dress warmly), klä dig fint (dress nicely).

So if you just want to say “Get dressed!”, klä på dig is the most natural and common phrase.

What does klä på dig literally mean, and what is the role of på?

Literally:

klä = dress
på = on
dig = yourself (object form of du = you)

So klä på dig is literally dress on yourself, which corresponds to English put clothes on yourself → get dressed.

The på is part of the verb phrase klä på (sig). Without på, klä just means to dress in a more general sense.

What is the function of dig here? Why not du?

Dig is the object form (object pronoun) of du:

du = you (subject)
dig = you (object)

In Klä på dig, the verb klä på needs an object: who is being dressed? → dig (you).

This is similar to:

English: You (subject) vs. you (object) – same form
Swedish: du (subject) vs. dig (object) – different forms

Because you is the one receiving the action (you are dressing yourself), Swedish uses the object pronoun dig.

Is klä på dig a reflexive construction, like klä på sig?

Yes. The pattern is:

jag klär på mig – I get dressed
du klär på dig – you get dressed
han/hon klär på sig – he/she gets dressed
vi klär på oss – we get dressed
ni klär på er – you (plural) get dressed
de klär på sig – they get dressed

In the imperative, the verb is just klä, and you add the correct reflexive pronoun:

to one person: Klä på dig! – Get dressed!
to several people: Klä på er! – Get dressed (you all)!

So dig here is the reflexive pronoun for du.

Could I say Klä på dig kläderna or Ta på dig kläderna instead?

Yes, but the nuance changes slightly.

Klä på dig (nu) – neutral “Get dressed (now)”, doesn’t mention clothes explicitly; context implies it.
Ta på dig kläderna – literally “Put your clothes on”; a bit more concrete, often used with specific items:
- Ta på dig jackan – Put your jacket on
- Ta på dig skorna – Put your shoes on

Klä på dig kläderna sounds a bit redundant (like “Dress yourself the clothes”) and is not very idiomatic. Much more natural is:

Klä på dig
or Ta på dig kläderna / jackan / skorna, etc.

What tense is vi ska gå ut, and how does it relate to the future?

Grammatically, ska is a present-tense verb, but in ska + infinitive it usually expresses future:

vi ska gå ut ≈ we are going to go out / we will go out

This construction is the most common way to talk about planned or intended future actions. It can also imply some intention or arrangement, similar to English going to:

Vi ska gå ut. – We’re going to go out.
Han ska plugga imorgon. – He’s going to study tomorrow.

So: present form ska + infinitive (gå) → future meaning.

What’s the difference between ska and kommer att for the future?

Both can refer to the future, but they have slightly different typical uses:

ska + infinitive
- very common, especially for plans, intentions, arrangements.
- Vi ska gå ut. – We’re going to go out (we’ve decided / it’s the plan).
kommer att + infinitive
- more about a prediction or what you think will happen, often less about intention.
- Det kommer att regna. – It’s going to rain (prediction).

In your sentence, Vi ska gå ut is natural because it’s about a plan/intention (“we’re going out now”).

What does gå ut mean exactly? Is it just “to go out (socially)”?

Gå ut literally means to go out, i.e. to go from inside to outside. Depending on context, it can mean:

simply leaving the house:
- Vi ska gå ut. – We’re going outside.
going out socially (to a bar, restaurant, etc.):
- Vi ska gå ut ikväll. – We’re going out tonight.

In your sentence with Klä på dig nu, the context suggests: Get dressed now, we’re going outside (out of the house).

What’s the difference between ut and ute here? Could it be vi ska gå ute?

No, you cannot say vi ska gå ute in this sense.

ut = movement to the outside (direction)
- gå ut – go out
- gå ut ur huset – go out of the house
ute = being outside (location)
- Vi är ute. – We are outside.
- Barnen leker ute. – The kids are playing outside.

So:

Vi ska gå ut. – We’re going to go out (movement).
Vi ska vara ute. – We’re going to be outside (location).

Your sentence needs ut, not ute, because it focuses on the going out action.

Can the word order with nu be changed? For example: Nu, klä på dig or Klä på dig, nu?

Several positions are possible, but not all are equally natural in everyday speech.

Most natural options:

Klä på dig nu, vi ska gå ut. – very normal, nu right after the verb phrase.
Nu ska vi gå ut, klä på dig. – also fine; nu refers more clearly to the going out.

Klä på dig, nu is possible, but usually you’d say:

Klä på dig nu. – more natural.

Nu, klä på dig with a comma and strong pause sounds more dramatic or written, not how people normally speak in this context.

Is Klä på dig nu polite, or does it sound a bit bossy?

Imperatives in Swedish (Klä på dig!, Kom hit!, Lyssna!) are quite direct, just like in English.

To a child, Klä på dig nu is very normal and not rude; it’s exactly what a parent might say.
To an adult, it can sound bossy or ordering.

To make it softer or more polite, you can add things like:

Kan du klä på dig nu, vi ska gå ut. – Can you get dressed now, we’re going out.
Skulle du kunna klä på dig nu, vi ska gå ut. – Could you get dressed now, we’re going out. (more polite)

Why is there a comma before vi ska gå ut? In English we’d probably use because or so.

In Swedish, it’s quite common (especially in informal writing) to join two main clauses with just a comma:

Klä på dig nu, vi ska gå ut.
Literally: Get dressed now, we’re going out.

In English, this would often be considered a comma splice and you’d typically write:

Get dressed now, we’re going out. (informal, spoken)
Get dressed now because we’re going out.
Get dressed now; we’re going out.

More “school-correct” Swedish could also be:

Klä på dig nu, för vi ska gå ut. – Get dressed now, because we’re going out.

But in everyday Swedish, the simple comma between clauses is very common.

How is dig pronounced? I’ve heard different versions.

There are two main pronunciations:

[dij] (like English dee
- y sound) – spelling pronunciation; clear, often in careful speech or learner pronunciation.
[dej] (like English day) – very common in everyday spoken Swedish.

Both are understood and accepted. In normal, casual speech you will most often hear something close to [dej].

How is the imperative klä formed? Is there a general rule?

Yes. For most Swedish verbs, the imperative is just the verb stem (the infinitive without -a):

att tala → Tala! – to speak → Speak!
att stänga → Stäng! – to close → Close!
att komma → Kom! – to come → Come!
att klä → Klä! – to dress → Dress!

So from att klä på sig (to get dressed), the imperative is Klä på dig!

Could the whole sentence also be Nu ska vi gå ut, klä på dig? Does the meaning change?

Yes, that’s possible:

Nu ska vi gå ut, klä på dig.

The meaning is essentially the same: Now we’re going out, get dressed.
The difference is just what is emphasized first:

Klä på dig nu, vi ska gå ut. – starts with the command: Get dressed now…
Nu ska vi gå ut, klä på dig. – starts with the plan: Now we’re going out…

Both are natural in spoken Swedish.