In Swedish, answering a yes or no question with just 'ja' or 'nej' can sound blunt or dismissive. Spoken Swedish uses idiomatic short answers, known as 'kortsvar', which work like English 'Yes, I do' or 'No, she isn't'. In this deck, you will learn how to form these natural spoken responses for all main verb types.

For general action verbs like 'tala', to speak, or 'dricka', to drink, Swedish answers with the helper verb 'göra', which becomes 'gör'. To answer yes, say 'Ja, det gör', followed by the subject pronoun. For example, if someone asks 'Talar du svenska?', you reply 'Ja, det gör jag', meaning 'Yes, I do'.

To give a negative short answer with an action verb, place the negative word 'inte' at the very end of the phrase. Say 'Nej, det gör', followed by the subject pronoun, and finish with 'inte'. For example, if someone asks 'Studerar han här?', you reply 'Nej, det gör han inte', meaning 'No, he does not'.