Skulle ni vilja bjuda in era grannar också, eller vill ni bara ha familjen där?

Skulle ni vilja is a more polite, softer way to ask a question.

• Vill ni ...? = Do you want ...?
• Skulle ni vilja ...? = Would you like ...?

In English, Would you like ...? often sounds more polite than Do you want ...?, and Swedish works similarly here. The verb skulle helps make the question less direct.

So this sentence is not just asking about preference; it is doing so in a courteous way.

Ni means you.

The important thing is that Swedish you has different forms depending on number and sometimes formality:

• du = you, singular, informal
• ni = you, plural

In modern Swedish, ni is mainly used for more than one person. In some situations it can also sound formal when addressing one person, but that is less straightforward and depends on context. In this sentence, most learners should understand ni as you all / you both / you people.

Because the sentence uses ni, the matching possessive is era.

Compare:

• du → din / ditt / dina = your
• ni → er / ert / era = your

Here, grannar is plural, so Swedish uses the plural possessive era:

• era grannar = your neighbors

If the sentence were talking to one person informally, it would be:

• Skulle du vilja bjuda in dina grannar också ...?

Because after a possessive like era, Swedish normally does not use the separate definite article ending.

So:

• grannar = neighbors
• era grannar = your neighbors

You do not usually say era grannarna.

This is different from English, where your neighbors still clearly feels definite. In Swedish, the possessive already makes the noun specific enough, so grannar stays in its basic plural form.

Bjuda in means to invite.

It is a verb plus a particle:

• bjuda = offer / invite
• in = in

Together, bjuda in means invite.

This is similar to English phrasal verbs such as come in, bring up, or take off.

In Swedish, these verb-particle combinations can sometimes stay together and sometimes split depending on the sentence structure:

• infinitive: bjuda in
• present tense: bjuder in
• past tense: bjöd in

Examples:

• Vi vill bjuda in dem. = We want to invite them.
• Vi bjuder in dem. = We are inviting them.

Också means also / too.

In this sentence, it follows era grannar because it is adding the idea of the neighbors as an extra group:

• bjuda in era grannar också = invite your neighbors too / as well

This placement is very natural in Swedish. Swedish word order for words like också can vary depending on what is being emphasized, but here it clearly attaches to era grannar.

Eller means or.

It connects two alternatives:

1. Skulle ni vilja bjuda in era grannar också
2. vill ni bara ha familjen där

So the speaker is offering a choice between:

• inviting the neighbors too
• or only having the family there

It works just like English or in this kind of question.

Familjen is the definite form: the family.

In Swedish, familjen often means the family in a general but still specific sense, often referring to your family / the family group understood from context.

So:

• familj = family
• familjen = the family

Here, bara ha familjen där means something like:

• only have the family there
• only have family there

English often uses family without the in a more general way, but Swedish commonly uses the definite form here.

Där usually means there.

In this sentence, it refers to the place or event being discussed. So ha familjen där means:

• have the family there
• in other words, have only the family present

It does not necessarily mean a very literal physical there in the sense of pointing somewhere. It can simply refer back to the occasion or location already understood in the conversation.

Because both parts are questions, and Swedish usually puts the finite verb before the subject in yes/no questions.

So:

• statement: Ni vill bjuda in era grannar. = You want to invite your neighbors.
• question: Vill ni bjuda in era grannar? = Do you want to invite your neighbors?

And with skulle:

• statement-like order: Ni skulle vilja ...
• question: Skulle ni vilja ...?

This verb-first pattern is very common in Swedish questions.

Because Swedish often uses one verb to express mood or politeness, and another in the infinitive to express the main action.

Here:

• skulle = would
• vilja = want / like
• bjuda in = invite

Together:

• Skulle ni vilja bjuda in ...? = Would you like to invite ...?

This is similar to English, where you can also stack verbs:

• Would you like to invite ...?

So the structure is completely normal: modal/auxiliary-like verb + infinitive + infinitive phrase

Yes, if you are speaking to one person informally.

Then the sentence would become:

• Skulle du vilja bjuda in dina grannar också, eller vill du bara ha familjen där?

Changes:

• ni → du
• era → dina
• later ni → du

This is a very useful pattern to practice, because Swedish changes the possessive and the subject pronoun together.