Breakdown of Förra gången var vi sena och alla blev oroliga.
vara
to be
och
and
vi
we
bli
to become
gången
the time
förra
last
sen
late
alla
everyone
orolig
worried
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Questions & Answers about Förra gången var vi sena och alla blev oroliga.
What does Förra gången mean?
Förra gången literally means the last time or previous time. Förra means previous or last, and gången is the definite form of gång (time or occasion), so together it refers to that specific past occasion.
Why is gången in the definite form? Why not just gång?
When you talk about a specific instance of something in Swedish, you use the definite form. Since förra (“last/previous”) points to one particular occasion, gång takes the definite suffix -en, becoming gången.
Is Förra gången var vi sena the same as Vi var sena förra gången?
Yes. Swedish word order is flexible, especially with time expressions. Placing Förra gången at the beginning adds emphasis on “last time,” while putting it at the end is more neutral. The basic meaning remains identical.
Why is the adjective sena used instead of sent?
Adjectives in Swedish agree with the gender and number of the subject. Vi (we) is plural, so sen takes the plural/common-gender ending -a, yielding sena. For a singular common-gender subject you’d use sen, and for singular neuter you’d use sent.
What does oroliga mean, and why is it plural?
Orolig means worried or concerned. Because the subject alla (“everyone”) is plural, the adjective takes the plural ending -a, giving oroliga (“worried” for a group).
Why use blev oroliga instead of var oroliga?
Blev (“became”) emphasizes a change of state—they went from not worried to worried. Var oroliga would just state their condition at that time without highlighting that shift.
Could I say alla oroade sig instead of alla blev oroliga?
Yes, oroade sig is the reflexive form of oroa sig (“to worry oneself”) and means “everyone worried.” That focuses on the act of worrying, whereas blev oroliga highlights the resulting state of being worried.
Why are var and blev in simple past (preteritum) instead of perfect tense?
In Swedish, the simple past (preteritum) is used for actions completed at a definite time in the past. The perfect tense (har varit, har blivit) suggests a connection to the present. Since you’re referring to a specific past occasion (“last time”), preteritum—var and blev—is the appropriate choice.
How do I pronounce Förra gången?
Förra is pronounced ö sounds like the French peu, and the doubled rr is rolled.
Gången is like the “o” in “more,” ng as a single [ŋ] sound, and the ending -en is pronounced [ɛn].
Together: [ˈfœrːa ˈɡoŋːɛn].