Säg till om du vill ha mer kaffe.

Säg is the imperative form of the verb säga (to say / to tell).

In Swedish, the imperative is used for commands, requests, and instructions:

• säga = infinitive, to say
• säger = present tense, say / says
• säg = imperative, say / tell

So Säg till ... means Tell me / Let me know ...

Also, Swedish imperatives often do not include a subject like du. English can do the same:

• Tell me if you want more coffee.

The subject you is understood.

Säg till is a very common Swedish expression meaning:

• let me know
• tell me
• say something if needed
• sometimes speak up

It is more idiomatic than translating each word separately.

Word by word:

• säg = say
• till = often means to / toward / up, but here it is part of the fixed expression

So in this sentence, it is best understood as:

• Let me know if you want more coffee.

You will hear säg till in many everyday situations:

• Säg till om du behöver hjälp. = Let me know if you need help.
• Säg till när du är klar. = Tell me when you’re done.

Not really. A literal translation like say to would sound strange in English and would not capture the actual meaning.

In this expression, till does not work the same way as English to. The phrase säg till functions as a unit.

Depending on context, it often means:

• let someone know
• tell someone
• notify someone
• speak up

So for learners, it is best to memorize säga till as a set expression.

Here, om means if.

So:

• om du vill ha mer kaffe = if you want more coffee

Swedish om is very often used for conditional if:

• Om det regnar, stannar vi hemma. = If it rains, we stay home.
• Säg till om du behöver något. = Let me know if you need anything.

Be careful, because om can also mean about in other contexts:

• Vi pratade om filmen. = We talked about the movie.

So the meaning depends on context.

This is normal Swedish word order for a subordinate clause introduced by om.

Structure:

• om = subordinating conjunction
• du = subject
• vill = finite verb
• ha = infinitive
• mer kaffe = object

So:

• om du vill ha mer kaffe

This is similar to English:

• if you want more coffee

Nothing unusual is happening here. The word order is straightforward.

A useful thing to remember is that Swedish subordinate clauses often have their own word-order rules, especially when adverbs like inte appear:

• om du inte vill ha mer kaffe = if you do not want more coffee

Notice how inte comes before the infinitive ha.

Because vill is a modal-like verb meaning want, and ha means have.

Swedish often uses vilja + infinitive:

• vill gå = want to go
• vill äta = want to eat
• vill ha = literally want have, but in natural English: want

With things like food and drink, Swedish often says want have where English just says want:

• Jag vill ha kaffe. = I want coffee.
• literally: I want to have coffee

There is no att here. After vill, you normally use the infinitive directly:

• Jag vill gå.
• not Jag vill att gå.

Because kaffe is being used as an uncountable noun here, like coffee in English.

So Swedish says:

• mer kaffe = more coffee

not:

• mer ett kaffe

This is very similar to English. You usually would not say more a coffee either.

If you are talking about a coffee as a serving, order, or cup in a café, Swedish can say:

• en kaffe in some spoken contexts
• but often more naturally en kopp kaffe = a cup of coffee

In this sentence, kaffe just means coffee in general, so no article is needed.

Both mer and mera exist, but mer is the more common everyday form in modern Swedish.

So:

• mer kaffe = normal, natural, common
• mera kaffe = also possible, but often sounds a bit more formal, old-fashioned, regional, or emphatic depending on context

For a learner, mer is the safer everyday choice.

Examples:

• Vill du ha mer? = Do you want more?
• Jag behöver mer tid. = I need more time.

Usually, no—not if you want the same meaning.

Säg till is the idiomatic expression here. Without till, säg om ... would not sound natural in this context.

Compare:

• Säg till om du vill ha mer kaffe. = Let me know if you want more coffee.
  This is natural.

Without till, the sentence can sound incomplete or like it is heading toward a different structure, such as say whether... or say if..., which is not what you want here.

So it is best to learn the whole phrase:

• Säg till om ... = Let me know if ...

Yes, it is polite, natural, and friendly.

Säg till om du vill ha mer kaffe. is something you could easily say to:

• a guest at home
• a coworker
• a friend
• someone you are serving

It sounds warm and helpful rather than rude.

If you want to make it even softer, you could say:

• Du kan säga till om du vill ha mer kaffe.
  You can let me know if you want more coffee.

Or more formally:

• Säg gärna till om du vill ha mer kaffe.
  Please do let me know if you want more coffee.

The original sentence is already perfectly polite in most everyday situations.

In the first part, the subject is understood because it is an imperative:

• Säg till ... = (You) let me know ...

In the second part, the clause is no longer a command. It is a normal subordinate clause, so the subject must be stated:

• om du vill ha mer kaffe = if you want more coffee

So the full structure is basically:

• (You) let me know if you want more coffee.

That is why there is no subject before säg, but there is one before vill.

In careful pronunciation, it is roughly:

• Säg till om du vill ha mer kaffe

In natural speech, some parts may be reduced a little, especially:

• om du can sound a bit like omdu
• vill ha can flow together smoothly
• kaffe has stress on the first syllable: KAFF-e

A rough guide for an English speaker might be:

• Sayg til om doo vill hah mehr KAH-feh

But that is only approximate.

A few pronunciation notes:

• ä in säg is somewhat like the vowel in English bed, but not exactly
• g in säg is pronounced
• vill has a short i
• kaffe has double f, so the vowel before it is short

If you want natural rhythm, it often sounds something like:

• SÄG till om du vill ha MER kaffe

with stress especially on säg, vill, mer, and kaffe depending on emphasis.

Yes, but it means something slightly different in use.

• Vill du ha mer kaffe? = Do you want more coffee?
• Säg till om du vill ha mer kaffe. = Let me know if you want more coffee.

The first is a direct question.
The second is an open invitation for the other person to ask later.

So imagine you are hosting someone:

• Vill du ha mer kaffe? = you are asking right now
• Säg till om du vill ha mer kaffe. = you are saying they can ask whenever they want more

Both are common, but they are used differently.

Word for word, yes: ha means have.

But in natural English translation, you often do not translate it literally. With food and drink, Swedish frequently uses ha where English just uses want or would like.

So:

• vill ha mer kaffe
• literally: want to have more coffee
• natural English: want more coffee

This is very common in Swedish:

• Jag vill ha vatten. = I want water.
• Hon vill ha en smörgås. = She wants a sandwich.

So learners should understand the literal structure, but aim for the natural meaning in English.