hur
/hʉːr/
The English word 'how' is translated into Swedish as hur.
Hur is used to ask about the manner or way in which something is done or occurs.
Meaning: in what manner (adv)
How do you pronounce it?
/hʉːr/
When do people say it?
If you want to be formal, you can say Hur står det till? For a casual 'What's up?' or 'What's happening?', an informal alternative is Vad händer?
Did you know?
- In Swedish, hur is often used where English speakers would use 'what', such as in Hur heter du?, which literally asks 'How are you called?' instead of 'What is your name?'
- The Swedish expression Hur i hela friden!, meaning 'How on earth!', uses the word friden which translates to 'the peace'.
- The word hur shares a common ancestor with the English word 'where', both stemming from the Proto-Germanic root *hwar.
Examples in context
- Hur mår du nu?How are you now?This sentence shows how to use hur to ask about someone's current well-being.Tatoeba #2005642 by herrsilen, translation #1885957 by CK
- Hur kom du in?How did you get in here?This sentence demonstrates using hur to ask about the manner of entry.Tatoeba #4025398 by malinef, translation #1885925 by CK
- Hur ser de ut?How do they look?This sentence illustrates using hur to ask about the appearance of people.Tatoeba #4344068 by richke, translation #2648817 by CK
- Hur mår du idag?How are you today?
- Hur står det till med er?How are you all doing?
- Hur mår ni efter resan?How are you all doing after the trip?
- Hur är det med dig?How are you doing?
- Hur går det på jobbet?How's it going at work?
- Hur säger man…How do you say…
- Hur tar jag mig till…How do I get to…
- 848 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alice and Karl are discussing a new recipe in the kitchen.
- AliceHur gör man den här rätten?How do you make this dish?
- KarlDu måste följa receptet noga.You must follow the recipe carefully.
- AliceHur mycket salt behövs?How much salt is needed?
- KarlDet behövs bara lite salt.Only a little salt is needed.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “how” translations and entries hur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
