Questions & Answers about Bor du här?
Why isn't there a word for "do" in the Swedish sentence?
In English, we use a helper word like "do" to make a question, as in "Do you live here?". Swedish doesn't do this! To ask a yes/no question, you simply move the verb to the front of the sentence. So, Bor du här? translates literally to "Live you here?".
Why does bor end in just -r instead of -ar or -er?
Most Swedish verbs add -ar or -er in the present tense. However, bor comes from the base word bo (to live). Because this short base word already ends in a vowel, you only need to add an -r to make it present tense.
Would the word bor change if the sentence was "Does he live here?"
No, it stays exactly the same! Swedish verbs never change endings to match the subject (the person doing the action). It is always bor, whether it is jag bor (I live), du bor (you live), or han bor (he lives).
How do I change this question into a normal statement, like "You live here"?
You just swap the first two words! A normal statement puts the subject first, so "You live here" is Du bor här. Putting the verb first is exactly what turns it back into a question.
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