The short answer
A Swedish information question normally follows question word, finite verb, subject: Var bor du? If the question word is the subject, it simply comes before the verb: Vem ringde? A yes-or-no question begins with the finite verb: Bor du här?
The question words used every day
Vad asks what, vem who, var where, vart where to, varifrån where from, när when, varför why and hur how. Vilken, vilket and vilka agree with the noun being selected.
Learn them inside questions you genuinely need. The guide to asking directions in Swedish gives var, vart and hur an immediate practical setting.
Question word, finite verb, subject
In Vad gör du?, vad fills the first slot, gör the second and du follows. This is the same verb-second logic explained in Swedish V2 word order.
With an auxiliary, only the finite verb takes second position: När ska du åka? The infinitive åka appears later in the clause.
When the question word is the subject
Vem ringde? means Who called? Vem performs the action, so there is no separate subject to invert. Vem såg Lisa? can mean Who saw Lisa? or Whom did Lisa see? depending on context, which is normal rather than a broken rule.
At first, practise clear examples such as Vem kommer i morgon? and Vad hände? before adding more complex objects.
Indirect questions use a different order
After Jag undrar or Vet du, the question becomes a subordinate clause: Vet du var hon bor? The subject hon now precedes bor. An indirect yes-or-no question begins with om: Vet du om hon kommer?
Practise one direct and indirect pair at a time, then test it through guided speaking. The contrast prevents question inversion from spreading into every embedded clause.
Questions people ask
- What are the main Swedish question words?
- Vad, vem, var, vart, varifrån, när, varför and hur mean what, who, where, where to, where from, when, why and how.
- What is Swedish question word order?
- Use question word, finite verb, subject. In a yes-or-no question, put the finite verb first.
- What is the difference between var and vart?
- Var asks about a location, while vart asks about a destination or direction: Var är du? but Vart går du?
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