Signification
Politely requesting something.
Contexte culturel
The 'Du-reformen' of the 1960s made Swedish very informal, but 'Får jag be om' remains as a way to show respect without using titles. Finland-Swedish can sometimes be even more formal or use slightly different prepositions, but 'Får jag be om' is universally understood. In Swedish meetings, consensus is key. Using 'Får jag be om' to suggest a topic makes it sound like a collective request rather than a personal demand. Waiters in Sweden appreciate this phrase as it acknowledges their professional role rather than treating them as servants.
The 'Tack' Sandwich
Always add 'tack' (thanks) at the end: 'Får jag be om en kaffe, tack?' to sound like a native.
Don't forget the 'OM'
Without 'om', you are asking to 'pray' the object, which sounds very strange.
Signification
Politely requesting something.
The 'Tack' Sandwich
Always add 'tack' (thanks) at the end: 'Får jag be om en kaffe, tack?' to sound like a native.
Don't forget the 'OM'
Without 'om', you are asking to 'pray' the object, which sounds very strange.
Eye Contact
Swedes value direct eye contact when using this phrase; it shows sincerity.
Ordering for others
Change 'jag' to 'vi' (we) if you are ordering for the whole table: 'Får vi be om...'
Teste-toi
Fill in the missing preposition.
Får jag be ___ en kopp kaffe?
In Swedish, you always 'be om' something when making a request.
Which sentence is the most polite for a restaurant?
How do you ask for the bill?
'Får jag be om' is the standard polite formula for service.
Match the request to the situation.
Situation: You are at a wedding and want to start a speech.
This is the traditional way to ask for silence before a speech.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Ursäkta, ____ jag be om hjälp? B: Ja, självklart! Vad behöver du?
'Får' is the modal verb used to ask for permission.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Politeness Scale
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesFår jag be ___ en kopp kaffe?
In Swedish, you always 'be om' something when making a request.
How do you ask for the bill?
'Får jag be om' is the standard polite formula for service.
Situation: You are at a wedding and want to start a speech.
This is the traditional way to ask for silence before a speech.
A: Ursäkta, ____ jag be om hjälp? B: Ja, självklart! Vad behöver du?
'Får' is the modal verb used to ask for permission.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
12 questionsIt's a bit much for McDonald's, but perfectly fine for a nice bakery or cafe.
No, use 'Får jag tala med...' (May I speak with...) or 'Jag söker...' (I am looking for...).
'Önska' means 'to wish'. You might hear a waiter say 'Vad önskas?', but you should respond with 'Får jag be om...'.
'Jag vill ha' (I want to have) is grammatically correct but sounds like a child demanding something.
In this phrase, yes. Saying 'jag' with a hard 'g' sounds very robotic.
Yes, it's very common in formal emails: 'Jag skulle vilja be om en kopia på fakturan.'
You can say 'Får jag få...', which is also very common and polite.
In modern Swedish, it mostly means 'ask/request'. The religious meaning is only clear from context.
Yes! 'Får jag be om en dans?' is the classic way to ask someone to dance.
Yes, it is standard Swedish used from Malmö to Kiruna.
Use 'Får jag be om en tjänst?'.
It would be 'Fick jag be om...', but you almost never use this phrase in the past tense.
Expressions liées
Kan jag få...
similarCan I have...
Be om ursäkt
specialized formTo apologize
Skulle jag kunna få...
builds onWould I be able to have...
Fråga efter
contrastTo ask for (someone)
Beställa
similarTo order
