Jag skriver ett brev åt min mamma.

I am writing a letter for my mom.

Breakdown of Jag skriver ett brev åt min mamma.

• jag: I
• ett: a
• min: my
• skriva: to write
• mamman: the mom
• brevet: the letter
• åt: at

Questions & Answers about Jag skriver ett brev åt min mamma.

Why is it jag skriver and not something like jag är skriver, when in English we say I am writing?

Swedish does not use a separate am/is/are + -ing form the way English does. The simple present tense in Swedish (skriver) covers both:

• I write → Jag skriver
• I am writing → Jag skriver

So jag är skriver is ungrammatical. You either say:

• Jag skriver ett brev åt min mamma. – I write / I am writing a letter for my mum.

If you really want to emphasize that the action is ongoing right now, Swedes might say:

• Jag håller på att skriva ett brev åt min mamma.

But this is only used when you really want to stress the ongoing process, not as a default translation of English am writing.

Why is it ett brev and not en brev?

Swedish nouns have two grammatical genders:

• en-words (common gender)
• ett-words (neuter gender)

The noun brev (letter) is a neuter noun, so it takes ett in the indefinite singular form:

• ett brev – a letter
• brevet – the letter

You simply have to memorize the gender of each noun. Some patterns exist, but brev is a classic neuter noun that always takes ett, never en.

What is the difference between åt and till here? Could I say Jag skriver ett brev till min mamma instead?

Yes, you can say Jag skriver ett brev till min mamma, and that is actually the most typical way to say I’m writing a letter to my mum in standard Swedish.

The nuance:

• till usually marks a recipient or destination:

  • Jag skriver ett brev till min mamma.
    → I’m writing a letter to my mum (she is the one who will receive it).

• åt usually marks a beneficiary – someone for whose benefit you do something, or on whose behalf:

  • Jag skriver ett brev åt min mamma.
    → I’m writing a letter for my mum (maybe to someone else, on her behalf).

In everyday speech, some people use åt and till more loosely or interchangeably, but if you want to sound clear and standard:

• till = to (recipient)
• åt = for / on behalf of (beneficiary)

Why is it min mamma and not mitt mamma or mina mamma?

The possessive pronoun in Swedish has to agree with the grammatical gender and number of the possessed noun, not the owner.

• mamma is an en-word (common gender), singular → min
• mitt is for ett-words, singular
• mina is for all plurals, regardless of gender

So:

• min mamma – my mum
• min bok – my book (bok = en-word)
• mitt hus – my house (hus = ett-word)
• mina böcker – my books (plural)
• mina hus – my houses (plural)

That’s why min mamma is correct here.

What is the difference between mamma and mor? Could I say min mor instead?

Both mean mother, but they differ in style:

• mamma – informal, everyday, warm, what most people say about their own mother:
  
  • min mamma – my mum / my mom
• mor – more formal, old-fashioned, or used in set expressions and some dialects:
  
  • min mor – my mother (sounds more formal/literary or old-fashioned in modern everyday speech)

In normal conversation about your own mother, min mamma is by far the most common and natural choice.

Why is it jag and not mig? How do jag and mig differ?

Jag and mig are two forms of the same pronoun I/me, used in different grammatical roles:

• jag = subject form (like I in English)
• mig = object form (like me in English)

Examples:

• Jag skriver ett brev. – I am writing a letter.
• Hon hjälper mig. – She is helping me.
• Jag ser dig, och du ser mig. – I see you, and you see me.

In Jag skriver ett brev åt min mamma, jag is the subject (the one doing the writing), so jag is required, not mig.

Can you drop jag like in Spanish or Italian, and just say Skriver ett brev åt min mamma?

Normally, no. Swedish is not a “pronoun-dropping” language. You almost always need to include the subject pronoun:

• Jag skriver ett brev åt min mamma. – correct
• Skriver ett brev åt min mamma. – sounds incomplete in normal spoken or written Swedish

The only common exceptions are in very casual contexts like:

• Short notes or headlines: Skriver senare (Will write later)
• Imperatives: Skriv ett brev! (Write a letter!)

But in a full sentence describing what you are doing right now, you should keep jag.

Why is it ett brev and not brevet? What is the difference?

Swedish uses a definite and indefinite form of the noun:

• ett brev – a letter (indefinite, nonspecific)
• brevet – the letter (definite, specific, already known)

In Jag skriver ett brev åt min mamma, you are introducing a letter that is not specifically identified yet – just a letter. If you say:

• Jag skriver brevet åt min mamma.

you are referring to a particular letter that you and your listener already know about (for example, the letter you talked about earlier).

The choice between ett brev and brevet works exactly like a letter vs the letter in English.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say Jag skriver åt min mamma ett brev?

The natural, neutral word order here is:

• Jag skriver ett brev åt min mamma.
  Subject – Verb – Object – Prepositional phrase (SVO + extra)

Putting åt min mamma before ett brev:

• Jag skriver åt min mamma ett brev

is not wrong grammatically, but it sounds unusual and a bit marked or poetic. In ordinary speech and writing, Swedes generally keep:

• direct object (ett brev) before
• indirect object or prepositional phrase (åt min mamma)

You can move åt min mamma to the front for emphasis or specific contexts:

• Åt min mamma skriver jag ett brev.

but this is also marked and more rhetorical. For a learner, stick to:

• Jag skriver ett brev åt/till min mamma.

How is jag, skriver, brev, åt, and mamma pronounced?

Approximate pronunciations (Swedish varies by region, but this is a common standard-like pronunciation):

• jag – often /jɑːg/ or simply /jɑː/

  • The j is like y in yes.
  • The a is long, like a in father.
  • In many accents, the final g is very soft or almost silent.

• skriver – /ˈskrìːvər/

  • sk here is sk, like sk in skip (because it’s before a back vowel).
  • The i is long, close to ee in see.
  • The final -er is a weak, unstressed -er sound.

• brev – /breːv/

  • Long e, similar to ay in say but shorter and more pure.
  • Final v is a normal v sound.

• åt – /oːt/

  • å is a long vowel, similar to o in door (British) or oa in boat, but more rounded; somewhere between English aw and oh.

• mamma – /ˈmamːa/

  • Both a’s are short, like u in cup but a bit more open.
  • mm is doubled, so the m is slightly longer than in English.

Could I say Jag skriver min mamma ett brev, like English I write my mom a letter?

No, Swedish does not allow that double-object pattern in the same way English does. You cannot place min mamma directly as an indirect object without a preposition in this sentence.

You must use a preposition:

• Jag skriver ett brev till min mamma. – completely natural
• Jag skriver ett brev åt min mamma. – also possible, but with the nuance of for / on behalf of her

So:

• Jag skriver min mamma ett brev. – sounds wrong in Swedish
• Always use till or åt with the person in this kind of sentence.