Veterinären arbetar på djurkliniken.

Because -en is the definite singular ending for this noun.

• veterinär = a veterinarian / veterinarian
• veterinären = the veterinarian

In Swedish, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word like the in English.

So:

• en veterinär = a veterinarian
• veterinären = the veterinarian

For the same reason: -en makes the noun definite singular.

• en djurklinik = a veterinary clinic / an animal clinic
• djurkliniken = the veterinary clinic

So the sentence uses two definite nouns:

• Veterinären = the veterinarian
• djurkliniken = the veterinary clinic

Swedish usually expresses the by adding an ending to the noun.

Compare:

• English: the veterinarian
• Swedish: veterinär + en = veterinären

And:

• English: the animal clinic
• Swedish: djurklinik + en = djurkliniken

This is one of the most important differences from English. Instead of putting the before the noun, Swedish often attaches definiteness to the noun itself.

arbetar means works or is working, depending on context.

It comes from the verb att arbeta = to work.

In the present tense, Swedish verbs do not change depending on the subject the way English verbs do. The same form is used for I, you, he, she, we, and they.

Examples:

• jag arbetar = I work / I am working
• du arbetar = you work / you are working
• veterinären arbetar = the veterinarian works / is working

So the -r here is part of the present tense form.

Yes. jobbar is very common in everyday Swedish and also means works.

• Veterinären arbetar på djurkliniken.
• Veterinären jobbar på djurkliniken.

Both are correct. The difference is mostly style:

• arbetar = a bit more neutral or formal
• jobbar = more everyday and conversational

In this sentence, på means something like at or in when talking about a workplace.

So:

• arbetar på djurkliniken = works at the veterinary clinic

English learners often expect i because it can mean in, but Swedish often uses på for workplaces, institutions, and similar places.

Common examples:

• arbeta på ett kontor = work at an office
• jobba på en skola = work at a school
• vara på sjukhuset = be at the hospital

You should usually learn these prepositions together with the expression.

Yes. It is a compound noun, which is very common in Swedish.

It can be divided like this:

• djur = animal
• klinik = clinic
• djurklinik = animal clinic / veterinary clinic
• djurkliniken = the animal clinic / the veterinary clinic

Swedish often combines nouns into one word where English may use two separate words.

Other examples:

• sjukhus = hospital
• barnbok = children’s book
• sommarjobb = summer job

The basic word order is:

subject + verb + prepositional phrase

So:

• Veterinären = subject
• arbetar = verb
• på djurkliniken = prepositional phrase

This is the normal word order in a simple Swedish statement, similar to English:

• The veterinarian works at the veterinary clinic.

Yes. Both veterinär and djurklinik are en-words.

You can tell from the indefinite forms:

• en veterinär
• en djurklinik

For en-words, the definite singular ending is usually -en:

• en veterinär → veterinären
• en djurklinik → djurkliniken

This is why both nouns end in -en in the sentence.

A rough guide is: veh-te-ri-NAIR-en.

A few points that may help:

• The final -en is the definite ending.
• The stress falls near the end of veterinär.
• The letter ä sounds somewhat like the vowel in English air in many accents.

Since pronunciation varies a bit by region, it is best to listen to native audio if possible, but that rough guide will help you get started.

Yes. Swedish present tense often covers both meanings.

So Veterinären arbetar på djurkliniken can mean:

• The veterinarian works at the veterinary clinic
  or
• The veterinarian is working at the veterinary clinic

Usually the context tells you which meaning is intended.

Because Swedish capitalization is more limited than English capitalization.

In this sentence:

• Veterinären is capitalized because it is the first word of the sentence.
• djurkliniken is not capitalized because common nouns are normally not capitalized in Swedish.

Unlike English, Swedish does not capitalize ordinary nouns just because they are nouns.