Breakdown of Jag vill ha ett glas kallt vatten nu, men hon vill hellre dricka te i en mugg.
jag
I
ha
to have
vattnet
the water
dricka
to drink
Questions & Answers about Jag vill ha ett glas kallt vatten nu, men hon vill hellre dricka te i en mugg.
Why does Swedish use vill ha in Jag vill ha ett glas kallt vatten instead of just a single verb meaning want?
In Swedish, vilja means to want, but it is often followed by another verb to complete the idea.
- Jag vill ha ... = I want to have / I want ...
- Jag vill dricka ... = I want to drink ...
So Jag vill ha ett glas kallt vatten is a very natural way to say I want a glass of cold water.
Using ha here is extremely common when asking for food, drinks, or objects.
Why is it ett glas but en mugg?
Because Swedish nouns belong to two grammatical genders:
- en-words
- ett-words
So:
- ett glas = a glass
- en mugg = a mug
You usually have to learn the article together with the noun:
- ett glas
- en mugg
- ett vatten is not used, because vatten is usually an uncountable noun here
This is one of the most important habits in Swedish: learn the noun and its article together.
Why is it kallt vatten and not ?