Breakdown of Hon dricker hellre te än kaffe.
hon
she
kaffet
the coffee
dricka
to drink
teet
the tea
än
than
hellre
rather / more gladly
Questions & Answers about Hon dricker hellre te än kaffe.
Why is there no word for "would" or "prefers" in this sentence?
In Swedish, you often express "would rather" or "prefer to" by using the present tense of the verb (here, dricker) followed by the adverb hellre (rather). So Hon dricker hellre literally means "She drinks rather". While Swedish does have a verb for "prefer" (föredrar), using an action verb plus hellre is a very natural and common way to say it.
What is the base form of the word hellre?
Hellre is the comparative form of the word gärna (gladly / happily). The three forms are gärna (gladly), hellre (rather / more gladly), and helst (most preferably / ideally). You use hellre anytime you are comparing two activities and want to state a preference.
Is än always used for "than" in comparisons?
Yes! Whenever you compare two things in Swedish and need to say "than" (such as "rather than", "bigger than", or "more than"), you use än.
Why don't te and kaffe have the word ett in front of them here?
Just like in English, liquids like te (tea) and kaffe (coffee) are generally uncountable nouns. Because this sentence is talking about tea and coffee in general, you don't use an article. You would only say ett te or ett kaffe if you were ordering "a (cup of) tea" or "a (cup of) coffee" at a café.
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