Learn Hardcore Swedish: För mig betyder den här boken mycket.

För mig betyder den här boken mycket.
= Emphasis on “for me (personally)”. You’re highlighting your perspective first.
Den här boken betyder mycket för mig.
= More neutral; the focus is more on “this book” as the topic, and you add for me at the end.

Both versions are grammatically correct and natural. The difference is mostly about emphasis and style, not meaning.

Why is it för mig and not till mig or åt mig, since English uses “to me”?

In Swedish, för is the normal preposition in this kind of expression:

betyder mycket för mig = means a lot to me
är viktigt för mig = is important to me

till mig literally means to me in the direction / giving sense:

Ge boken till mig. = Give the book to me.

åt mig is used for doing something on my behalf / for my benefit:

Han lagade mat åt mig. = He cooked food for me.

So with betyda (to mean), you almost always use för, not till or åt.

Why is it mig and not jag?

Jag is the subject form (like English I), and mig is the object form (like English me).

In this sentence, jag is not doing any action; you’re talking about how the book relates to you:

För mig = for me (object)
If you were the subject, you’d say: Jag tycker att den här boken är bra. = I think this book is good.

So after a preposition like för, you need the object form: mig, not jag.

Note: You’ll also see mej in informal writing; it’s just a phonetic spelling of mig.

Why is it den här boken and not det här boken?

Swedish has two grammatical genders:

En-words (common gender) → use den här
Ett-words (neuter gender) → use det här

bok is an en-word:

en bok, boken → den här boken (this book)

For an ett-word, you’d say:

ett hus, huset → det här huset (this house)

So den här boken is correct because bok is an en-word.

Why is it den här boken and not just den här bok?

When you use den här / det här / de här with a noun, the noun must be in definite form:

den här boken (this book)
det här huset (this house)
de här böckerna (these books)

That’s why you say:

den här boken ✔️
not
den här bok ✖️

This combination demonstrative + definite noun is standard Swedish grammar.

What is the difference between den här, den där, and denna?

All three can correspond to this/that in English, but they differ in style and nuance:

den här boken
Very common in spoken and written Swedish. Neutral “this book” (often near in space, time, or context).
den där boken
Means “that book”, usually pointing to something farther away or less close in context.
denna bok
More formal / written and often a bit old-fashioned. Common in official texts, literature, or titles. Usually doesn’t take the definite ending:
- denna bok rather than denna boken in standard formal style.

In everyday speech, den här boken and den där boken are by far the most common.

What exactly does betyder mean here, and how is it different from menar?

betyda and mena both connect to the English idea of “mean”, but they’re used differently.

Use betyda for:

significance / importance:
- Den här boken betyder mycket för mig. = This book means a lot to me.
dictionary meaning:
- Vad betyder det här ordet? = What does this word mean?

Use mena for “intend to say”:

Vad menar du? = What do you mean? (What are you trying to say?)
Jag menar att vi borde gå nu. = I mean that we should go now.

So in your sentence, you need betyder, not menar, because you’re talking about how important the book is to you.

What is mycket doing here, and can it mean “very” as well?

mycket is very flexible and can mean “much / a lot / very” depending on context.

In betyder … mycket, it means:

betyder mycket = means a lot / is very important

Other uses:

With uncountable nouns:
- mycket tid = a lot of time
- mycket pengar = a lot of money
As “very” before adjectives/adverbs (a bit less common in modern speech than väldigt / jätte-):
- mycket bra = very good
- More natural today: väldigt bra, jättebra

You can make it stronger:

betyder väldigt mycket för mig = means very much / an awful lot to me.

Is För mig betyder den här boken mycket the only correct word order, or can I rearrange it?

You can rearrange the parts, as long as the finite verb (betyder) stays in second position:

All of these are correct:

För mig betyder den här boken mycket.
Den här boken betyder mycket för mig.
Den här boken betyder för mig mycket. (grammatically OK but sounds unusual and marked; Swedes almost never say it this way.)

Most natural everyday variant is:

Den här boken betyder mycket för mig.

Your original version with För mig first is also natural; it just puts extra emphasis on your personal point of view.

Could I drop för mig and just say Den här boken betyder mycket?

Yes, grammatically you can say:

Den här boken betyder mycket.

But then you’re not explicitly saying to whom it means a lot. It sounds more like:

This book is very significant / has great importance (in general).

Adding för mig makes it clearly personal:

Den här boken betyder mycket för mig.
= This book means a lot to me specifically.

So whether you can drop för mig depends on whether you want to express your personal connection or a more general statement.

How would I say the same thing in the past or future?

You mainly change the verb betyder:

Past (preterite):
- För mig betydde den här boken mycket.
  = This book meant a lot to me.
Present perfect:
- För mig har den här boken betytt mycket.
  = This book has meant a lot to me.
Future with ska:
- För mig ska den här boken betyda mycket. (unusual)
  More natural:
- Jag tror att den här boken kommer att betyda mycket för mig.
  = I think this book will mean a lot to me.

The rest of the sentence (för mig, den här boken, mycket) stays the same; you just change the verb form.