In English, we often answer yes/no questions with short phrases like "Yes, I am" or "No, she doesn't" rather than repeating the entire sentence. Swedish does the exact same thing to avoid sounding abrupt or overly repetitive.
To build a short answer in Swedish, you need the dummy word det (it/that), which acts as a placeholder for the rest of the sentence.
Replying with auxiliary verbs
If a question uses an auxiliary or "helper" verb—such as är (am/is/are), har (have), or kan (can)—you simply echo that same verb in your response. The standard pattern is Ja/Nej, det + verb + subject pronoun.
You will often hear adverbs like verkligen (really) added to the end of these responses for emphasis.
| "Are you both serious?" "Yes, we really are." | ”Är ni båda allvarliga?” ”Ja, det är vi verkligen.” |
If you want to start your reply with an adverb like självklart (of course) instead of a simple "yes", the V2 rule dictates that the verb must still come second. The placeholder det is then pushed to the end of the phrase: Självklart + verb + pronoun + det.
| "Can you help me?" "Of course I can!" | ”Kan du hjälpa mig?” ”Självklart kan jag det!” |
| "Do you have the driver's license?" "Of course I do!" | ”Har du körkortet?” ”Självklart har jag det!” |
Replying with main verbs
If the original question uses a normal main verb (like känna, skämta, or gå), you cannot just repeat that verb in a short answer. Instead, Swedish uses göra (to do) as a stand-in, just like in English.
Use gör for the present tense and gjorde for the past tense. You can also add adverbs like faktiskt (actually) to soften or emphasize your answer.
| "Do you recognize him?" "Yes, I actually do." | ”Känner du igen honom?” ”Ja, det gör jag faktiskt.” |
| "Did you go home early?" "Yes, I really did." | ”Gick du hem tidigt?” ”Ja, det gjorde jag verkligen.” |
To make your short answer negative, simply add inte after the subject pronoun.
| "Is the boss joking now?" "No, she is not." | ”Skämtar chefen nu?” ”Nej, det gör hon inte.” |
Agreeing with negative statements
When someone makes a negative statement and you want to agree with it (saying "neither do I" or "he doesn't either"), use the same short answer structure, but add inte heller (not either) at the very end.
| I do not like such movies, and he does not either. | Jag tycker inte om sådana filmer, och det gör han inte heller. |