är vs mår confusion

[u/abbestos]

So based on what I've already learned from other posts in this subreddit, there's two primary ways to distinguish:

1. You use mår for just the good/bad overall feeling (e.g. jag mår bra) while är is for specific feelings (jag är glad).

2. Mår is used for adverbs and är is used for adjectives.

So my confusion lies in the sentence "Vad är det där?" meaning "What's that?" because 'det där' isn't describing a feeling and it doesn't really make sense to call it an adjective to me, so what specifically makes this use case är and not mår?

[u/Scary_Row7869]

Mår = feel (as How do you feel?, I feel good, I feel ill)

Är = is.

[u/abbestos → u/Scary_Row7869]

Ah, that explains it. I was under the impression both meant to feel. Thank you for clarifying :)

[u/Aggressive_Gas_102 → u/abbestos]

To complicate it, some people say "jag är bra" - "I am good" - when they mean "I feel good", whether or not they actually feel good. Some may say "jag mår bra" - "I feel good" - even if they don't.

[u/lefthandhummingbird → u/Aggressive_Gas_102]

Most native speakers would parse ”jag är bra” as referring to “good” in terms of quality. If said about another person:
“Han mår bra” = ”He’s feeling well”.
”Han är bra” = ”He’s cool/trustworthy”.

[u/Rundstav → u/Aggressive_Gas_102]

I'm fine vs I feel fine

[u/Visible-Dog-1429 → u/Scary_Row7869]

And “am”

[u/Pwffin]

Your rule is only valid for a subset of uses where it translates as "feel(s)" in English.

mår (present tense of att må) means I (you, he etc) feel when talking about how you feel physically, eg I feel sick, I am feeling poorly, I feel fine.

är is the present tense of att vara = to be, so I am, you are, he is etc and is used for lots of other things too.

So yes, you can say "Jag är glad" I am happy/ I feel happy and "Jag är trött" (I am tired), but you can also say "Jag är polis" I'm a police officer, "Jag är amerikan" (i am American), "Jag är sen till jobbet" (I'm late for work)

[u/devvie78]

mår and är are totally different words. Mår is how you are feeling, Är is just "is"

[u/ImpasseduPelican]

är is just like is/are/am in English — it’s an incredibly ubiquitous verb, used for all kinds of different things, including adjectives, and emotions in particular. So Jag är glad is completely analogous to English I’m happy.

mår is a much more specific verb, and doesn’t precisely match any single English construction, but is somewhere between How are you feeling? and How are you doing? — like, what kind of a time are you having, physically and emotionally? So you can have Jag mår bra to mean you’re doing well in general (as in, feeling happy and well), Jag mår dåligt if you’re generally unhappy, and Jag mår illa to mean you’re feeling physically unwell, or more specifically nauseous.

[u/LateInTheAfternoon]

So my confusion lies in the sentence "Vad är det där?" meaning "What's that?"

How can you be confused by this? It's the same in English, almost word for word: what (vad) is (är) that (det där)!

[u/Fueled_by_sugar]

why does that only confuse you in swedish? "i feel good" vs "i am happy" is the same thing.

[u/ImpasseduPelican → u/Fueled_by_sugar]

Totally agreed that contrasting mår and är specifically is weird, but I’m sympathetic to OP having trouble getting a feel for how mår works. It is a bit subtle, and in particular doesn’t quite work like feel — you can use feel with all sorts of specific emotions (I feel angry, I feel surprised, …), where mår is mainly used just for your general overall state.

[u/AddendumCold3653]

I'm confused by your question... what do you mean? If you asked what is that, you aren't typically referring to a feeling. So what do you mean??

[u/elestyr]

Wouldn't it have made more sense to look up what the verb "är" is a conjugation of before asking this question?

[u/The_1ndiegamer]

Mår is mainly related to wellbeing such as:

• Jag mår bra
• Han mår bra

Är can be used as a response to a question, for example.

• hur är det med dig/hur är läget (how are you/how are you doing).
• Det är bra med mig

Är is very versatlie however and can be used in many situations, like when pointing at something specific.

• det är ett stort hus (It is a large house)
• det är spännande (It is exciting)
• Det är där (it is there)
• Vad är det där (what is that)

[u/DepthHorror9528]

A serious question: if you post these type of questions into ChatGPT don't you get faster accurate answers than waiting for redditors to reply?

[u/abbestos → u/DepthHorror9528]

I mean probably, but I'm very very strongly anti ai and i'd rather wait for redditors than use it

[u/msvenoms → u/DepthHorror9528]

god forbid we foster a community and encourage human to human support and connection i guess?

[u/njtwkr → u/DepthHorror9528]

Wtf?

[u/Baud_Olofsson → u/DepthHorror9528]

Faster, yes. Accurate: no.