# Swedish: Är det roligt eller är det roligt?



## Rejzko

A boy tries to convince a girl fom his class that he is in love with her. But then he reveals that it was a prank. The girl says she knew that it was a prank and tries to laugh it off saying:

"Är det roligt eller är det roligt?" 

Does the phrase  mean that is is really funny (it was really a good prank) or is it meant ironically: "It is not funny at all."


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## Tjahzi

Actually, I'm quite confused. Probably ironic, but just seems weird to me. (It might be clearer when spoken.)


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## MattiasNYC

Without context it's a bit hard to understand. But in English (US) you sometimes find a similar way of phrasing a statement.

For example:

1: A dad takes his son to an amusement park and the go on a ride that everyone loves. When they get off the ride the son has a huge smile on his face and is clearly really really happy. Dad says "Now was that fun or was that fun!" That's a question without alternatives, so it seems like it's actually not a question, but it is. The dad understands that it was fun and is really both making a statement and asking a question. He's really just asking for confirmation that the son liked it.

2: You bring me to an amusement park and put me on a roller coaster. I hate roller coasters. Not only that, but I have been sick for a whole week, with a stomach virus and fever. I'm almost well, but can still feel the illness a bit. During the roller coaster ride I throw up two times. My face is pale. I feel horrible. You say "Now did you enjoy that or did you enjoy that!?" Unless you're a complete idiot you'll understand of course that I in fact did not enjoy it, and so this time it is again a question (that again inherently doesn't have alternatives posed) that asks for confirmation but contrary to last time it's phrased as irony. And if I wanted to continue the conversation using irony I'd of course say "Yeah, that was great fun!"

So in the context of the original post I would argue that if the girl either really didn't understand it was a joke, and/or hoped that it was true (that the boy loved her), then it could be irony - meaning she's trying to tell him that it wasn't funny at all. But it could also be that she's trying to cover up her disappointment or that she actually did think it was funny, in which case it's not really irony.

In other words I don't think this is unique to the Swedish language.

That's my take on it anyway.


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## Sepia

It could go both ways depending on the intonation.


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## Rejzko

Sepia said:


> It could go both ways depending on the intonation.




Thank you very much.


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## DerFrosch

Sepia said:


> It could go both ways depending on the intonation.



I have to say that I can't think of any intonation that would allow the sentence to make sense in the context. It looks very peculiar to me.

Do you have more information, Rejzko? Did you see this in a film/TV show, or only in writing?


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## Rejzko

It is in the film _Återträffen by Anna Odell._


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## DerFrosch

What about the intonation?

And how did the guy respond?


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## Rejzko

DerFrosch said:


> What about the intonation?
> 
> And how did the guy respond?




He did not respond. (In fact he responded by kicking the girl.) The girl is talking about this event at a class reunion. It had happened in the past. It is difficult to describe the intonation in writing. I think  it goes like this:  Är det ROLIGT eller ÄR det roligt?


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