Learn Hardcore Swedish: Anna och Erik pratar engelska tillsammans i huset. - Anna and Erik speak English together in the house.

Both pratar and talar can mean "speak" or "talk," but pratar is often more informal or colloquial. Talar is slightly more formal and might be used in more official contexts or when giving a speech. In everyday conversation, pratar is more common.

Why is engelska spelled with an -a at the end?

In Swedish, languages are generally written in their definite adjective form when referring to the language as a concept. For instance, "English" is engelska, "Swedish" is svenska, and so on. This is standard usage rather than the noun form (which would be engelskan for "the English language").

What does tillsammans mean, and can I leave it out?

Tillsammans means "together." It clarifies that Anna and Erik are speaking English with each other, not to someone else. If you leave it out, the sentence still makes sense, but you lose the nuance that they’re doing it jointly.

What is the word order rule in Swedish that places tillsammans before i huset?

Swedish typically follows a Subject–Verb–Object (SVO) pattern, and adverbs or adverbial phrases can come after the object. Here, the adverbial phrase tillsammans naturally fits after engelska because it describes how they speak. Then comes i huset, which specifies the location. This order feels natural in Swedish: subject (Anna och Erik), verb (pratar), object/language (engelska), manner (tillsammans), and place (i huset).

Could I start the sentence with I huset instead?

Yes, you can say I huset pratar Anna och Erik engelska tillsammans, which shifts the emphasis to the location. Swedish allows fronting an adverbial phrase for emphasis. However, the original sentence flows more naturally in everyday speech, putting the location at the end.