Questions & Answers about Hon behöver brevet.
Why does the verb end in "-er" here?
Behöver belongs to the regular Group 2 verbs. To get the present tense, we take the basic dictionary form (infinitive) behöva (to need), drop the final -a, and add -er.
I see "brevet", but where is the word for "the"?
In Swedish, "the" attaches to the end of the noun. Because brev (letter) is an ett-word, you add -et to the end to mean "the letter", making it brevet.
Would the verb change if I said "I need" instead of "She needs"?
No, Swedish verbs are very simple in the present tense! The verb form stays exactly the same no matter who the subject is. So, "I need" is jag behöver and "we need" is vi behöver.
What if she needs to DO something with the letter? Does "behöver" work like in English?
It is actually a bit simpler! In English, we say "needs to read". In Swedish, you usually drop the "to" (att) after behöver. You just put the next verb in its basic infinitive form, like Hon behöver läsa brevet (She needs to read the letter).
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