Får jag följa med till biblioteket idag?

May I come along to the library today?

Breakdown of Får jag följa med till biblioteket idag?

• jag: I
• till: to
• biblioteket: the library
• idag: today
• följa med: to come along
• få: can

Questions & Answers about Får jag följa med till biblioteket idag?

Why does Swedish use Får jag ...? here—does it mean can or may?

Får jag ...? is most often used to ask for permission (English May I ...? / Am I allowed to ...?).
It can sometimes be understood as can I in casual speech, but its core meaning is permission.
If you mainly mean ability/possibility (not permission), Swedish more often uses Kan jag ...?.

Why is the word order Får jag ... and not Jag får ...?

In Swedish yes/no questions, the verb typically comes first (verb-first word order):

• Statement: Jag får följa med ... = I’m allowed to come along ...
• Question: Får jag följa med ...? = Am I allowed to come along?

Is får present tense, and what would the past tense be?

Yes, får is present tense of få (to get / to be allowed to).
Past tense is fick:

• Fick jag följa med ...? = Was I allowed to come along ...? / Did I get to come along ...?

What does följa med mean as a unit?

Följa med is a very common verb phrase meaning to come along / to go with (someone).
Literally it’s like follow along, but idiomatically it’s just the normal way to say join / come with in many situations.

Do I need to say who I’m coming with? This sentence doesn’t mention a person.

You don’t have to. Följa med can be used without stating the person, when it’s obvious from context (e.g., you’re talking to someone who’s going).
If you want to be explicit, you can add med dig/er:

• Får jag följa med dig till biblioteket idag? = May I come with you to the library today?
• Får jag följa med er ...? = May I come with you (plural/formal) ...?

Why is it till biblioteket and not på biblioteket?

till marks movement to/toward a destination: to the library.
på is used for being at a place or an activity location:

• Jag är på biblioteket. = I’m at the library.
  So in your sentence, you’re talking about going there, so till is correct.

Why is it biblioteket with -et at the end?

That’s the definite form: biblioteket = the library.
Swedish often attaches the to the noun as a suffix. Bibliotek is a neuter noun (ett bibliotek), so the definite ending is typically -et:

• ett bibliotek = a library
• biblioteket = the library

Could I also say till ett bibliotek?

Yes. till ett bibliotek means to a library (not a specific one).
Use till biblioteket when you mean a particular library that both speakers have in mind (often the local one).

Where can idag go in the sentence—does the position matter?

Idag is flexible, but position changes what sounds most natural or what gets emphasis. Common options:

• Får jag följa med till biblioteket idag? (neutral, very natural)
• Får jag följa med idag till biblioteket? (possible, but often sounds a bit more marked/less natural)
• Får jag idag följa med till biblioteket? (more formal/emphatic: today specifically)

Is Får jag ...? polite, or is there a more polite way?

Får jag ...? is polite and normal. If you want to sound extra polite/soft, you can use:

• Får jag ...? (standard polite)
• Skulle jag kunna få ...? / Skulle jag kunna ...? (more tentative: Would I be able to ...?)
  In casual speech, people also say:
• Kan jag följa med ...? (often fine, slightly more like Can I ...?)
• Får jag hänga med ...? (hänga med = hang out/come along, more informal)

How do you pronounce Får jag följa med till biblioteket idag?

A rough pronunciation guide (not perfect IPA, but helpful):

• Får ≈ fohr (with a long å sound, like a rounded “o”)
• jag often sounds like ya in everyday speech (especially mid-sentence)
• följa ≈ FURL-ya (the ö is like the vowel in English bird for many speakers, but with rounded lips)
• med ≈ med (short e)
• till ≈ till (short i)
• biblioteket ≈ bib-lee-oh-TEK-et (stress is typically on -tek-)
• idag ≈ ee-DAHG (stress on the second syllable)

Is there any difference between följa med and komma med?

Yes. Följa med is the standard way to say come along/join (a trip or plan).
Komma med more often means come with (something) or come along (as an addition), and is common in expressions like:

• Kommer du med? = Are you coming along? (possible, but Följer du med? is often more common for joining a person/group)
• Jag tar med mig en bok. = I’ll bring a book with me. (different verb: ta med)