Breakdown of ”Har du körkortet?” ”Självklart har jag det!”
jag
I
du
you (singular)
det
it (neuter)
ha
to have
Questions & Answers about ”Har du körkortet?” ”Självklart har jag det!”
The English translation says "Of course I do!". Why does the Swedish answer use har instead of a word for "do"?
In Swedish, short answers mirror the verb used in the question. Since the question asks Har du...? (Do you have...?), the answer must use har. If the question had used a normal action verb like Kör du? (Do you drive?), the short answer would use a form of göra (to do), like Ja, det gör jag.
Why is det added at the end of Självklart har jag det?
In English, you can just say "I have" or "I do," but Swedish doesn't like to leave the verb hanging without an object. The word det (it) acts as a placeholder for the thing you are talking about, which is the driver's license. So literally, you are saying "Of course I have it!"
Why is the word order har jag det instead of jag har det?
How is the word självklart built?
It is a combination of själv (self) and klart (clear). So it literally means "self-clear," which is a great way to say "obviously" or "of course."