Breakdown of ”Har du körkortet?” ”Självklart har jag det!”
jag
I
du
you (singular)
det
it (neuter)
ha
to have
körkortet
the driver's license
självklart
of course (obviously, naturally)
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."
Is körkortet an en or an ett word?
It is an ett word: ett körkort. You can tell because the definite form in this sentence ends in -et (körkortet means "the driver's license"). It is a compound word made of kör (drive) and kort (card).
Learn ”Har du körkortet?” ”Självklart har jag det!” and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free