Slå tärningen och flytta spelpjäsen.

Yes, slå often means hit, strike, or beat, but in some set expressions it has other idiomatic meanings.

In board-game language, slå tärningen means roll the die. It is the normal verb used for throwing/rolling a die in Swedish.

So:

• slå tärningen = roll the die
• literally, it may look like hit the die, but that is not how it is understood here

This is one of those cases where you should learn the whole phrase as a unit.

Because tärningen is the definite form, meaning the die.

Swedish usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun:

• en tärning = a die
• tärningen = the die

In instructions like this, Swedish often uses the definite form for the game object being used:

• Slå tärningen = Roll the die
• Flytta spelpjäsen = Move the playing piece

This sounds natural in Swedish because the die and the piece are understood as the specific ones used in the game.

Yes, it is similar in meaning, but the forms are regular in Swedish:

• en tärning = a die
• tärningar = dice
• tärningen = the die
• tärningarna = the dice

So Swedish does not have the same irregular pair as English die/dice. It uses the regular singular/plural pattern:

• singular: tärning
• plural: tärningar

Because this is an imperative sentence: it is giving commands or instructions.

In Swedish, the imperative form does not use att.

Here both verbs are imperatives:

• Slå = Roll!
• flytta = Move!

And they are joined by och (and):

• Slå tärningen och flytta spelpjäsen.
• Roll the die and move the playing piece.

Compare:

• att flytta = to move (infinitive)
• Flytta! = Move! (imperative)

The imperative often looks the same as the infinitive for many verbs, which can be confusing at first.

It is the imperative.

The form happens to look the same as the infinitive in many Swedish verbs:

• infinitive: att flytta = to move
• imperative: Flytta! = Move!

In this sentence, it must be imperative because the whole sentence is an instruction:

• Slå tärningen = command
• och flytta spelpjäsen = another command

So even though the form is the same, the function is different.

Spelpjäsen means the game piece, the playing piece, or the token, depending on context.

It comes from:

• spel = game
• pjäs = piece

Together:

• spelpjäs = game piece / playing piece
• spelpjäsen = the game piece

In board games, this can refer to the object a player moves around the board. In English, possible translations include:

• the playing piece
• the token
• the pawn (sometimes, depending on the game)

That is one of the basic features of Swedish grammar: the definite article is usually attached to the noun as a suffix.

For en-words, the definite singular is often made with -en:

• en tärning → tärningen
• en spelpjäs → spelpjäsen

This is different from English, where the is a separate word.

So instead of saying:

• the die
• the piece

Swedish says:

• tärningen
• spelpjäsen

This is a very important pattern to get used to.

Because this is a straightforward command structure.

Each part follows the normal imperative pattern:

• Slå tärningen
• Flytta spelpjäsen

That is:

• verb
  • object

Then the two commands are linked with och:

• Slå tärningen och flytta spelpjäsen.

This is very similar to English:

• Roll the die and move the piece.

So the word order here is quite beginner-friendly.

Yes. Just like in English imperatives, the subject you is usually understood and not said.

So:

• Slå tärningen really means (You) roll the die
• Flytta spelpjäsen really means (You) move the playing piece

Swedish normally leaves out the subject in commands.

Yes, this sounds natural as a game instruction.

It has the typical style of rulebooks or written instructions:

• short
• direct
• imperative verbs
• definite forms for the game objects

A real rulebook might also say similar things like:

• Slå tärningen.
• Flytta spelpjäsen framåt.
• Dra ett kort.
• Vänta på din tur.

So the sentence fits very well in a board-game context.

A few things are especially useful here:

• å in slå is a long aw/o-like sound
• ä in tärningen and spelpjäsen is an eh/air-type front vowel
• sj in spelpjäsen can be tricky because Swedish sj has no exact English equivalent

A rough beginner-friendly guide:

• slå ≈ sloh
• tärningen ≈ TAIR-ning-en
• spelpjäsen ≈ SPEL-pyeh-sen or SPEL-pyah-sen (very approximate)

A few warnings:

• Swedish pronunciation is not well represented by English spelling
• pj in pjäs is often pronounced with a y-like sound after the p
• the stress is usually on the first syllable: TÄR-ningen, SPEL-pjäsen

If you want to sound natural, listening to native audio is especially helpful for words like pjäs.