"Why?"

Translation: Varför då?

[canislvpvsalbvs]

Also easy to remember this way
Varför → what for → why

[PeteLamber]

I remember when studying Shakespeare, my teacher explained "Wherefore art thou Juliet?" meant "WHY are you Juliet?" back then, not "Where are you..." as we might now assume. He's asking why she is so irresistible (he knows where she is). So, Romeo helps me remember this one.

[GibbJameson]

I thought it was "wherefore art thou Romeo?" and that she was asking why he had to be a Montague and therefore forbidden to be with him.

[AranHennessy]

Yes I remember reading that it should have been "Wherefore art thou Montague" as "refuse thy name" makes more sense if associated with the surname and not Romeo.

[adamgallag1]

that's exactly how i remember it

[CutePorcupine]

It's actually "wherefore," which is no longer common in contemporary English, but that is a good way to remember it.

[Andy642820]

Also inverted Romance "perque/porque" — for what

[okiisarah]

Tack! This is going to help me a lot :)

[amsyarzero]

That really helps a lot! Tack så mycket, canis!

[Gooselingo]

do you need the "då" ? what does it mean?

[AnUnicorn]

Apparently it's a conversational softener; if you reply with a straight varför it can sound brusque.

I think of it like adding "... that?" to one-word questions in English. For example, if someone told you "I wouldn't do that," a straight "Why?" might sound impatient or pushy or annoyed, while "why's that?" sounds more neutral and curious.

[RaptorsOnBikes]

I like the similarity between 'varför' and 'wherefore'!

[Lundgren8]

In Swedish, varför is the standard word and hvi is an archaic word. In English, it’s reversed, where why is the standard word, and wherefore is the archaic one.

[stdaaviid]

What does the "då" mean? Would it mean "why then"?

[Mrdavincikoden]

"Varför då?" (Why's that?) is a formal version of: "Varför" (Why). It's used as a sentence but not as a word. If you use just varför as a sentence you sound young (teens and children) or passive-aggressive.

[Yuki_Shiro]

Varför is like the german "wofür", probably the same.

[Zmrzlina]

Yup, exactly the same.

[NoodleInhaler]

Why do I have to add "då"

[Arnauti]

It's just more idiomatic. Mrdavincikoden wrote a good answer in this thread. ^

[Gnurfel]

I reported it ... but I thought that varför då då? was a more non-toddleresque way of asking "why?" without sounding like a whiny childish brat.