# Swedish: Har du en cykel? Ja, det har jag.



## NLmarkSE

Hey, I've got a very basic question here. I was just doing some Rosetta Stone exercises and I came upon the following simple sentence:

"Har du en cykel?"

I then had to fill in the gap in the following answer to the question above:

"Ja, ___ har jag."

Because the first person was talking about 'en cykel' I thought I should use 'den' to refer to it but apparently I should use 'det' instead.

I have done some searches on the internet but couldn't really find the reason behind this. Personally I think it might have something to do with 'det' referring not to 'en cykel' but to the question whether you have something or not.

Well, I hope you can help me.


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## rehovot90

"Den" would refer to having that specific object, while "det" would be more general and not speaking of a specific bicycle. 
I hope this helps you although I can´t give an explanation explaining the grammar behind it.


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## LilianaB

With det it means more: precis, det stämmer. It is true. I have  a bicycle.


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## hanne

It's the same in German, and I'd be somewhat surprised if it isn't in Dutch: Hast du eine Katze? Ja, das habe ich.


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## NLmarkSE

Thanks, and yes, it's kind of the same in Dutch although both 'die' or 'dat' would be acceptable now I think about it. Is it the same in Swedish? Would 'det' also be correct and common usage?


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## Åvävvla

The only correct way of answering would be "Ja, det har jag". Saying or writing "den" would immediately give your foreignness away.


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## LilianaB

I think it is a short form from: Det har jag den. You just drop the final den.


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## Åvävvla

LilianaB said:


> I think it is a short form from: Det har jag den. You just drop the final den.



Can you back it up with a source, please?

It would definitely be wrong in modern Swedish, and I as far as I can remember I have never come across anything like it in older texts. _Det_ vs. _den_ is a wide topic, but apart from referring back to a noun _det_ is also used as a "filling":

-"Det är vackert väder idag."

-"Det är synd att klaga när man har mat på bordet och tak över huvudet."

-"Vad var det?"
-"Det var en fågel."
-"Aha, var det det det var?!"

I would think _det_ serves a similar purpose in the sentence above.


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## LilianaB

I think I learned sometime that this was the origin of the phrase, historically, but I have to check my grammar, if they still have it there. It would be only in historical grammar, I think. I know in modern Swedish it is just: Det ar det, Det vet jag. Det gar bra etc.


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## NorwegianNYC

Åvävvla said:


> Can you back it up with a source, please?
> 
> It would definitely be wrong in modern Swedish, and I as far as I can remember I have never come across anything like it in older texts. _Det_ vs. _den_ is a wide topic, but apart from referring back to a noun _det_ is also used as a "filling":
> 
> -"Det är vackert väder idag."
> 
> -"Det är synd att klaga när man har mat på bordet och tak över huvudet."
> 
> -"Vad var det?"
> -"Det var en fågel."
> -"Aha, var det det det var?!"
> 
> I would think _det_ serves a similar purpose in the sentence above.



Hi Åvävvla - it reminds of the sentences Norwegian learners found to be the most confusing sentence in the Norwegian language a couple of years ago:

-"Er det det det er?"
-"Ja, det er det det er!"

It must be darn confusing for Scandinavian learners that we use the same word ('det') as an article, a demonstrative and a pronoun!


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## NLmarkSE

NorwegianNYC said:


> Hi Åvävvla - it reminds of the sentences Norwegian learners found to be the most confusing sentence in the Norwegian language a couple of years ago:
> 
> -"Er det det det er?"
> -"Ja, det er det det er!"
> 
> It must be darn confusing for Scandinavian learners that we use the same word ('det') as an article, a demonstrative and a pronoun!



This is a great example. I think I get it now.
Does it mean "Is that what it is?" "Yes, that is what it is!"?

If so, it's really not that hard at all.


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## AutumnOwl

NLmarkSE said:


> "Har du en cykel?"
> 
> "Ja, ___ har jag."



Det har jag = det är något jag har = that is something I have.


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## Lugubert

Some languages have slots that have to be filled. A normal Swedish sentence (excluding commands etc.) has to have a subject and a predicate. If the real subject (egentligt subjekt) is absent, you have to supply a formal subject (formellt subjekt), which is "det". Wiki on subjekt isn't half bad.

In the bike example, you might use "Ja, cykel har jag" in some contexts, for example implying "but I don't own a car" but if it's perfectly clear that the question only referred to bike ownership, the "det" version is the only natural response.

Some other languages are more economical and/or presuppose some degree of intelligence in the listener. A typical Chinese or Welsh answer to "Do you own a bike?" would be "Own."


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## bicontinental

Lugubert said:


> Some languages have slots that have to be filled. A normal Swedish sentence (excluding commands etc.) has to have a subject and a predicate. *I**f the real subject (egentligt subjekt) is absent, you have to supply a formal subject (formellt subjekt), which is "det".* Wiki on subjekt isn't half bad.
> 
> In the bike example, you might use "Ja, cykel har jag" in some contexts,



Hello Lugubert,

But this, however, wouldn’t pertain to the bike sentence above, “det har jag”,  in which ‘det’ is the direct object and not the subject?…(‘jag’ is the 'real' subject) 

Bic.


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