Giving advice with borde
When you want to give someone advice or recommend a course of action, use the modal verb borde (should / ought to).
Like other modal verbs in Swedish, borde is followed directly by the bare infinitive of the main verb. This means you just use the dictionary form of the verb without the word att (to). Let's look at how to use this when discussing good manners.
| You should be polite. | Du borde vara artig. |
| The guest should always thank the host. | Gästen borde alltid tacka värden. |
| One should greet both the host and the guest. | Man borde hälsa på både värden och gästen. |
Asking for advice
To ask for advice, simply invert the subject and the verb so that borde comes before the subject, just like you do with other verbs when forming a question.
| How should one behave at the party? | Hur borde man bete sig på festen? |
Negative advice with borde inte
When advising someone against doing something, place the negation inte directly after borde in a standard main clause.
| You should not talk so loudly. | Du borde inte prata så högt. |
| He should not have his elbows on the nice table. | Han borde inte ha armbågarna på det fina bordet. |
| One should not be impolite. | Man borde inte vara otrevlig. |
More etiquette recommendations
You can use borde with a variety of verbs to lay out the rules of common etiquette, from dining habits to showing gratitude.
| You should close your mouth when you chew. | Du borde stänga munnen när du tuggar. |
| You should say thank you for the food. | Du borde tacka för maten. |