Swedish A Question About The Difference Between The Verbs \"be\" And \"frã¥ga\" And A Question About A Sound That I Hear On Swedish Tv But I Don\'t Know What Letters To Associate It With

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ekonomistudenten Monday 18th of September 2006 11:28:59 AM
A question about the difference between the verbs \"be\" and \"frÃ¥ga\" - Hi, I have a couple questions.

I was wondering what the difference is between the verbs \"be\" and \"fråga\". I know that they both mean to ask, but there is a difference and I can\'t quite put my finger on it. In a DN.se story I saw the sentence \"Men när gamla partivänner bad honom ställa upp i valrörelsen sade han som vanligt ja.\" I have also read another article where some said \"Om polisen had bett mig om hjälp...\" I know that one could say \"Vi frågade Ann igår.\" Can someone help me with proper usage of these two verbs?

Also, I have been watching Swedish TV recently and I have noticed a sound that we don\'t usually hear in English and I am not sure what letters to associate it with. I have heard to such words that sound like fouida (or fweeda) and fouinka (or fweenka). It is a very quick sound. I have tried to match the words up with \"skydda\" and \"skinka\", but I would like to know for sure so that I won\'t misinterpret the speech I hear. I was also wondering if that sound was from a particular dialect. I have heard it recently while watching the program Nya Rum on svt.se. The host uses the word a lot.

Tack förhand!

Rikard Monday 18th of September 2006 04:52:36 PM
- \"Be\" is quite a versatile word in swedish =). As well as meaning ask it also means beg and pray.

If you\'re asking for help or for assitance you use \"be\". If you solely want to know the answer to a question you use \"fråga\".

Regarding this sound you\'re talking about i\'m quite puzzled, hehe. Perhaps you could include a sound clip of it?
Are you perhaps talking about the many ways we use the \"sch\"-sound in swedish?

parru Wednesday 20th of September 2006 04:04:06 AM
- är det inte \'be till\' om man vill säga \'to pray\'?

Rikard Wednesday 20th of September 2006 05:48:46 AM
- No but you certainly can do that. If you omit the \"till\" it is assumed your praying to your own deity of course.

ekonomistudenten Friday 22nd of September 2006 08:32:59 AM
the unknown sound... - I have found an example for that Swedish sound I have been hearing. It can be heard in the first syllable of the verb skynda (hurry). I remembered this from my Teach Yourself Swedish book by Vera croghan. It can be also heard in the first syllable of skinka (ham). Should I say most sk- words like that or is it just a dialect? The example with skynda can be found in the first dialog in Unit 7, track 25 on disc 1, if anyone has that book and cd.

mrbicrevise Friday 22nd of September 2006 05:30:47 PM
- [quote][i]Originally posted by ekonomistudenten[/i]

I have found an example for that Swedish sound I have been hearing. It can be heard in the first syllable of the verb skynda (hurry). I remembered this from my Teach Yourself Swedish book by Vera croghan. It can be also heard in the first syllable of skinka (ham). Should I say most sk- words like that or is it just a dialect? The example with skynda can be found in the first dialog in Unit 7, track 25 on disc 1, if anyone has that book and cd.[/quote]

Menar du den här ljud?

http://lexikon.nada.kth.se/ljud/skyndar.mp3

ekonomistudenten Saturday 23rd of September 2006 11:10:09 AM
- Yes! That\'s exactly what I am talking about. Thank you for finding that sound clip. So, to my understanding, the sound sound is the pairing of the letters \"s\" and \"k.\"

Thanks again!

Rikard Sunday 24th of September 2006 08:21:13 PM
- http://www2.hhs.se/isa/swedish/chap9.htm#tjsound

scroll down to the \"sj-sound\".

EDIT:
you\'ll hear two versions of most examples regarding the sj-sound. The second version is the one most used, as in the exmaple of \"skynda\" above.

ekonomistudenten Monday 25th of September 2006 06:28:53 AM
- Tack så mycket Rikard! That webpage explained it perfectly. It does sound like the sh sound pronounced further back in the throat. I am having difficulty making this sound, so I am practicing it.

Also, I have another question about words like dagarna and fåglarna. Would they be pronounced with stress of the first syllable like DAG-ar-na and FÅ-glar-na?

Rikard Tuesday 26th of September 2006 12:39:51 AM
- yes :)

jolin Tuesday 02nd of January 2007 04:17:25 AM
- [quote][i]Originally posted by ekonomistudenten[/i]

Hi, I have a couple questions.

I was wondering what the difference is between the verbs \\\"be\\\" and \\\"fråga\\\". I know that they both mean to ask, but there is a difference and I can\'t quite put my finger on it. In a DN.se story I saw the sentence \\\"Men när gamla partivänner bad honom ställa upp i valrörelsen sade han som vanligt ja.\\\" I have also read another article where some said \\\"Om polisen had bett mig om hjälp...\\\" I know that one could say \\\"Vi frågade Ann igår.\\\" Can someone help me with proper usage of these two verbs?

[/quote]

Late answer, but here goes.. Roughly, you could say \"be\" is like \"ask for\", and \"fråga\" is like \"ask about\" (you add an \"om\"). You could often translate \"fråga\" as \"enquire\", but that translation would seldom be fit for \"be\".

\"Be om marmeladen\" = \"Ask for the marmalade\"
\"Fråga om marmeladen\" = \"Ask about the marmalade\" (there is something you want to know about it).

Sometimes they are possible to interchange.

Consider:

- Can you help me?
- No, but ask Andersson.

The reply could be either \"Nej, men be Andersson\" or \"Nej, men fråga Andersson\".

Phrasebase Archive
	ekonomistudenten	Monday 18th of September 2006 11:28:59 AM
	A question about the difference between the verbs \"be\" and \"frÃ¥ga\" - Hi, I have a couple questions. I was wondering what the difference is between the verbs \"be\" and \"fråga\". I know that they both mean to ask, but there is a difference and I can\'t quite put my finger on it. In a DN.se story I saw the sentence \"Men när gamla partivänner bad honom ställa upp i valrörelsen sade han som vanligt ja.\" I have also read another article where some said \"Om polisen had bett mig om hjälp...\" I know that one could say \"Vi frågade Ann igår.\" Can someone help me with proper usage of these two verbs? Also, I have been watching Swedish TV recently and I have noticed a sound that we don\'t usually hear in English and I am not sure what letters to associate it with. I have heard to such words that sound like fouida (or fweeda) and fouinka (or fweenka). It is a very quick sound. I have tried to match the words up with \"skydda\" and \"skinka\", but I would like to know for sure so that I won\'t misinterpret the speech I hear. I was also wondering if that sound was from a particular dialect. I have heard it recently while watching the program Nya Rum on svt.se. The host uses the word a lot. Tack förhand!
	Rikard	Monday 18th of September 2006 04:52:36 PM
	- \"Be\" is quite a versatile word in swedish =). As well as meaning ask it also means beg and pray. If you\'re asking for help or for assitance you use \"be\". If you solely want to know the answer to a question you use \"fråga\". Regarding this sound you\'re talking about i\'m quite puzzled, hehe. Perhaps you could include a sound clip of it? Are you perhaps talking about the many ways we use the \"sch\"-sound in swedish?
	parru	Wednesday 20th of September 2006 04:04:06 AM
	- är det inte \'be till\' om man vill säga \'to pray\'?
	Rikard	Wednesday 20th of September 2006 05:48:46 AM
	- No but you certainly can do that. If you omit the \"till\" it is assumed your praying to your own deity of course.
	ekonomistudenten	Friday 22nd of September 2006 08:32:59 AM
	the unknown sound... - I have found an example for that Swedish sound I have been hearing. It can be heard in the first syllable of the verb skynda (hurry). I remembered this from my Teach Yourself Swedish book by Vera croghan. It can be also heard in the first syllable of skinka (ham). Should I say most sk- words like that or is it just a dialect? The example with skynda can be found in the first dialog in Unit 7, track 25 on disc 1, if anyone has that book and cd.
	mrbicrevise	Friday 22nd of September 2006 05:30:47 PM
	- [quote][i]Originally posted by ekonomistudenten[/i] I have found an example for that Swedish sound I have been hearing. It can be heard in the first syllable of the verb skynda (hurry). I remembered this from my Teach Yourself Swedish book by Vera croghan. It can be also heard in the first syllable of skinka (ham). Should I say most sk- words like that or is it just a dialect? The example with skynda can be found in the first dialog in Unit 7, track 25 on disc 1, if anyone has that book and cd.[/quote] Menar du den här ljud? http://lexikon.nada.kth.se/ljud/skyndar.mp3
	ekonomistudenten	Saturday 23rd of September 2006 11:10:09 AM
	- Yes! That\'s exactly what I am talking about. Thank you for finding that sound clip. So, to my understanding, the sound sound is the pairing of the letters \"s\" and \"k.\" Thanks again!
	Rikard	Sunday 24th of September 2006 08:21:13 PM
	- http://www2.hhs.se/isa/swedish/chap9.htm#tjsound scroll down to the \"sj-sound\". EDIT: you\'ll hear two versions of most examples regarding the sj-sound. The second version is the one most used, as in the exmaple of \"skynda\" above.
	ekonomistudenten	Monday 25th of September 2006 06:28:53 AM
	- Tack så mycket Rikard! That webpage explained it perfectly. It does sound like the sh sound pronounced further back in the throat. I am having difficulty making this sound, so I am practicing it. Also, I have another question about words like dagarna and fåglarna. Would they be pronounced with stress of the first syllable like DAG-ar-na and FÅ-glar-na?
	Rikard	Tuesday 26th of September 2006 12:39:51 AM
	- yes :)
	jolin	Tuesday 02nd of January 2007 04:17:25 AM
	- [quote][i]Originally posted by ekonomistudenten[/i] Hi, I have a couple questions. I was wondering what the difference is between the verbs \\\"be\\\" and \\\"fråga\\\". I know that they both mean to ask, but there is a difference and I can\'t quite put my finger on it. In a DN.se story I saw the sentence \\\"Men när gamla partivänner bad honom ställa upp i valrörelsen sade han som vanligt ja.\\\" I have also read another article where some said \\\"Om polisen had bett mig om hjälp...\\\" I know that one could say \\\"Vi frågade Ann igår.\\\" Can someone help me with proper usage of these two verbs? [/quote] Late answer, but here goes.. Roughly, you could say \"be\" is like \"ask for\", and \"fråga\" is like \"ask about\" (you add an \"om\"). You could often translate \"fråga\" as \"enquire\", but that translation would seldom be fit for \"be\". \"Be om marmeladen\" = \"Ask for the marmalade\" \"Fråga om marmeladen\" = \"Ask about the marmalade\" (there is something you want to know about it). Sometimes they are possible to interchange. Consider: - Can you help me? - No, but ask Andersson. The reply could be either \"Nej, men be Andersson\" or \"Nej, men fråga Andersson\".