Vi måste repa versen, för att inte tala om refrängen.

must

Breakdown of Vi måste repa versen, för att inte tala om refrängen.

• vi: we
• refrängen: the chorus (song)
• versen: the verse (song)

Questions & Answers about Vi måste repa versen, för att inte tala om refrängen.

What does repa mean here?

Repa means to rehearse or to practice, especially in music, theatre, or performance contexts.

It is a very common, somewhat informal verb. It comes from repetera (to rehearse / repeat).

So:

• Vi måste repa = We have to rehearse
• Vi måste repetera would be more formal or neutral, but both are correct.

In this sentence, repa is exactly the kind of verb you would expect when talking about a song.

What do versen and refrängen mean?

• versen = the verse
• refrängen = the chorus / refrain

These are music terms:

• en vers → versen
• en refräng → refrängen

A native English speaker should notice that Swedish usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun:

• en vers = a verse

• versen = the verse

• en refräng = a chorus
• refrängen = the chorus

Why are versen and refrängen in the definite form?